


Griffin Girls

by Nakeycatstakebaths



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Abby is kind of a bitch in this but she's redeemable at times, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Small Town, Bellamy owns a diner, Big Brother Bellamy, Clarke and Raven start a business together, Clarke is Madi's biological mom, Clarke is an art teacher, EVERYONE IS ALIVE AND HAPPY, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Gilmore Girls AU, Lot of fun pop culture, Mother/daughter fic, Polis is Stars Hollow, Slow Burn, They're really obviously into each other and everyone can see it but them, This is part love story part Clarke being a badass mom, best friend cuteness from Bellamy and Clarke, dad bellamy, just lighthearted fun, lots of fluff, the whole town ships it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2020-10-18 15:49:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 68,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20641697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nakeycatstakebaths/pseuds/Nakeycatstakebaths
Summary: Clarke had Madi when she was 17 years old and its been just the two of them ever since. After leaving her privileged life in Arkadia behind, the small town of Polis became their home and their family. When Madi has to leave the comfort of her small town to enter the upper class world of the elite Arkadia Hillside prep school, Clarke turns to her best friend Bellamy for support. She'll need all the help she can get when it comes to facing Madi's future and her own past.----Gilmore Girls AU (more the premise and less the plot, you don't have to have seen the show to get this story)





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AU based off of Gilmore Girls
> 
> INFO: This story has been reworked since original posting and the update date has been changed to reflect that. I just didn't feel like the original content reflected the quality of work I want to be posted and have added/edited/changed details I didn't feel 100% confident of. I always want to be putting my best out there for everyone to read and I hope these changes reflect that. Thank you to everyone who had been commenting, reading and responding to this from the start. I love you all so much, I hope you continue to enjoy this story. Your feedback has helped shape this new piece to where it is now.

_ _

* * *

_Prologue_

**October 11, 2004 **

Fat drops of rain rolled down the windowpane and pooled at the bottom of the sill. It was serene, peaceful in a way. Indra loved the rain, even at her age when it made her knuckles stiff and her knees crack. There was a beauty to washing away the old. It was her favorite thing to paint, especially late at night when the lightening contrasted against the inky black sky and the shop was quiet. Just as she was finishing a yellow bolt, another flash crackled in the sky. In the distance was a figure, it was small and stumbling slightly under the weight of whatever was in their arms.

Her eyebrows knit together; Polis was a sleepy town and it was rare to see people wandering around at night. She picked up the cordless phone, finger hovering over 9-1-1. She carefully stood and made her way to the window, squinting at the figure as they carefully crossed the street. As they moved onto the sidewalk, the streetlamp illuminated their face.

It was a young girl in a red raincoat. Her blonde hair was glued to her forehead and her white tennis shoes were so wet they had turned grey. She clutched a yellow and white striped blanket to her chest. It was shielded by the cover of her jacket but it looked like the outline of a baby.

She definitely wasn’t from around here. 

Indra put the phone down and watched them. Something about seeing two lost, wet children at night tugged at her heartstrings. She had never had children of her own, but she could only imagine how worried their parents must be. The poor child must have taken the wrong bus and gotten lost.

Against her better judgement, Indra tightened her cardigan around her shoulders and unbolted the door.

“Hey there! Why don’t you come on in? I have a phone you can use,” she called, waving out to the girl.

The blonde girl jumped and eyed her carefully, adjusting the strap of her backpack and drawing the small bundle closer to her chest.

Indra knew the girl must be scared and was obviously weary, but the small bundle of blankets stirred, and her concern grew.

“It’s okay, I promise I’m just offering you a phone to use. We don’t have payphones in this town,” she continued, flashing a warm smile.

The girl was still stiff, but she began to slowly walk toward the art store. Her blue eyes were wide and rimmed with red, it was clear she had been crying. She wordlessly stepped aside and ushered the girl indoors.

“I’m Clarke,” the girl whispered, her voice was gravely and hoarse. “And this is Madi,” she continued, pushing back the blankets to reveal a porcelain skinned baby with a tuft of dark hair.

Indra reached behind the counter and pulled out some old painter’s towels. She handed them to Clarke who immediately went to work drying Madi, ignoring her own dripping hair. Once Madi’s hair was dried into a vertical tuft, Clarke gently placed her on the floor and went to work drying herself. Her clothes were soaked beyond recognition and the worn towel didn’t really seem to be helping.

“Here let me just…” Indra began going into the back to retrieve a worn pair of paint splattered overalls and an old promotional shirt, “you can change in the bathroom.”

Clarke once again gave her an unsure look, as if she still wasn’t sure if she should be trusted. Scooping Madi off the floor, she took the clothes and walked into the back.

Indra leaned against the counter and scrubbed her hand over her face. Clarke was definitely still in high school…but she looked clean and well cared for. If she was a runaway, she hadn’t been gone for long. The baby couldn’t be older than one but was similarly clean and looked well fed. There were no alarm bells ringing but she was still concerned. It wasn’t clear whether Madi was Clarke’s daughter or sister.

Clarke returned; the clothes were much too big for her but she didn’t seem to mind. She sat on the overstuffed chair next to Indra and nervously bounced Madi in her lap. The hardness was still present on her face, but it was more open than before.

“Are you lost? I know the busses around here can get kind of confusing. You can use the phone here and we can figure out what bus you need to be on in the morning,” Indra said gently, pushing a mug of hot tea toward Clarke.

She picked up the mug with one hand and took a long sip. “I’m not lost,” she said firmly.

“So were you just taking a nice nighttime stroll?” Indra teased gently, taking a sip from her own mug.

“It’s just the two of us. We can’t go home; I came here to start over. I was looking for the inn,” Clarke answered, mouth hardening into a firm line.

“We have one inn on the northside. But I doubt they would let someone your age book a room, how old are you?”

“Old enough,” Clarke snapped.

“Well I don’t want to seem like I’m kidnapping you both, so I need to know if you have parents who are looking for you,” Indra continued sternly, she was starting to wonder what she had gotten into.

“Madi is mine,” Clarke answered, gently smoothing down the baby’s hair. “My dad is dead, and my mother is…not looking for me. You don’t need to worry about it.” 

Indra took in the two girls in front of her, there was something intriguing about Clarke. She was stubborn, perhaps to a fault. But she reminded Indra of herself many years ago. This girl seemed determined to not go home and there was no way she could leave her on the street. There was determination etched in her young features, this girl was going to do big things one day…that much was certain.

But despite her obvious independence, Indra was worried. Clarke was still very young and Madi couldn’t be more than a year old. God knows what would happen them if they ventured out of Polis and into the streets of TonDC.

Something about them tugged at her heart strings and she knew there was no way that she would be able to send them back out now.

“How about this? This shop here is obviously an old house, I live upstairs. I have a guesthouse out back that hasn’t been used in ages. I used to rent it out to students when we had a small college in town. You’re welcome to stay there as long as you like but in exchange you’ll need to work in my store. I’m getting old and can’t manage all this by myself,” Indra offered, gauging the girl’s expressions.

Clarke mulled over her suggestion, the wheels turning in her head were practically visible from how hard her brows were drawn together.

Finally, her gaze flitted down to Madi and back up to Indra. “You’ve got yourself a deal,” she said, sticking out her free hand to shake.

“Welcome to Polis Clarke,” Indra smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Any feedback or constructive criticism would be appreciated!!! 
> 
> If anyone is willing to edit or beta read this fic it would be great appreciated! :)


	2. 14 years later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 14 years later...

**September 1st, 2019 **

Clarke weaved her way through the streets of Polis, dodging several kids on bikes and almost running into the flower cart as she speed walked. She bounced up the stairs of _Blake’s _and swung the door open.

It was packed, but she spotted an empty table in the back corner and made a dash for it. She dove into one of the red vinyl chairs and threw her purse down before she stood up to make her way behind the counter. She slipped under the barrier and retrieved a mug from under shelf before pouring herself a large cup.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” a deep voice called from behind her.

“Getting coffee,” she retorted matter-of-factly, continuing to pour into her mug.

“I can see that, I meant behind my counter,” the voice continued.

Clarke turned and raised the cup to her lips, covering her smile. She propped her hip against the counter as Bellamy came storming over. His eyebrows were scrunched and to an untrained eye he would look angry, but Clarke could see the fondness etched into his face.

“How many cups have you had already?” he asked, pushing up the sleeves of his flannel.

“None!” Clarke huffed indignantly.

Bellamy smiled and quirked an eyebrow, reaching out to pull the pot from her hands.

“Okay fine, this is my third,” she admitted, flashing him a cheeky grin and wiggling her eyebrows at him. Winking she plucked another one of the coffee pots from its spot and carried it back to the table, bumping her hip against his on the way.

With a deep sigh, he plucked a mug from under the counter and followed her to her table where Madi was already sitting.

“Careful with the caffeine, you’ll become exactly like your mother,” he warned jokingly, setting the mug in front of the younger girl.

“Too late,” Madi smirked, dark eyes sparkling as she reached out to take the coffee pot from Clarke.

Clarke continued to grin widely as Bellamy rolled his eyes and adjusted his baseball cap.

“You always pretend to be annoyed but we all know this is the highlight of your day. You’re lucky I can’t cook,” Clarke teased.

“Ahh yes, two bottomless pits that single handedly keep me in business,” he said, pulling out a small notepad. 

“You know me so well, I could practically swoon,” Clarke answered dramatically, swaying in her chair with a hand clasped to her chest.

Bellamy shook his head and cracked a smile, turning to check on the other customers. He didn’t even need to asked, they ordered the same thing every morning.

Clarke watched his retreating form. Admittedly being the best part of Bellamy’s day was wishful thinking on her part. They had grudgingly been friends since she had stumbled into Polis 14 years ago. Their friendship was single handedly founded the fact that Clarke didn’t know how to cook and needed a constant IV drip of coffee to remain upright. Bellamy was a little gruff, but he seemed to have a soft spot for Madi. He was always made sure that she was taken care of. Arguably, he was the most stable male figure in Madi’s life…maybe in Clarke’s life too.

She was shaken out of her musings when she realized Madi had been rambling. Straightening, she took a large swig of coffee and turned to her daughter.

“…we’re reading Catcher in the Rye right now in class, it’s kind of boring because I’ve already read it but I feel like I’m noticing things I didn’t really pick up on the first time,” Madi babbled, completely unaware that Clarke hadn’t been paying attention.

“I’m glad you’re enjoying school honey,” Clarke answered, flashing her daughter a broad smile.

“Oh, I’m not. Everyone there still sucks. But I get to read every day and I don’t really have to talk to anyone so it’s not that bad. It’s much better than middle school when they tried to force us all to be best friends,” Madi snorted, perking up as Bellamy came by with two enormous stacks of chocolate chip pancakes.

“Don’t let the man get you down Mads,” Bellamy encouraged, ruffling Madi’s hair.

“Who needs friends anyway?” Madi said, shoving a forkful of pancakes into her mouth.

Bellamy gave her shoulder an encouraging squeeze but flashed a concerned look over to Clarke as he walked away. Clarke shrugged but a pit of worry formed in her stomach as well. Madi was a great kid, but she was quiet and obsessed with school. It had always been hard for her to make friends. Clarke worried sometimes that because of their close ages, Madi relied too heavily on her for friendship and had deprioritized kids her own age. As much as she loved her, Clarke wanted Madi to have friends her own age.

They finished their pancakes in comfortable silence, occasionally pausing to speculate who would get eliminated on tonight’s episode of the Bachelorette. Glancing at her phone, Madi chugged the last of her coffee and pressed a kiss to Clarke’s cheek.

“I gotta go, I’ll see you around school, right?” Madi asked, gathering up her backpack.

“Yeah! I have a meeting with Principal Jaha, but I’ll be back in the art room around 10:00 if you need anything,” Clarke assured, squeezing Madi’s hand before she slipped out the door and jogged toward the high school.

Clarke took her last, treasured bite of pancakes and stood up to pay up at the counter. She handed the $20 to Bellamy and he held the bill, analyzing her.

“What was that all about?” he asked, leaning his elbows against the counter.

“The whole anti-social thing has gotten worse since Kenzie moved to TonDC,” Clarke sighed, pressing her lips together. “I don’t really know how to tell her that books aren’t a substitute for friends.”

“You’re her best friend,” Bellamy shrugged, handing Clarke back her change.

“And she’s mine and I love that but she needs to talk to people who aren’t in their thirties…” Clarke sighed.

“I mean it’s not the end of the world, not everyone has to be super popular in high school. God knows I wasn’t,” he assured, continuing the conversation as he began clearing plates off the counter.

“As the resident pregnant teenager, I was obviously very popular, a real life Juno. I just worry that other kids don’t see how great she is,” she continued, following Bellamy down the length of the counter.

Bellamy’s forehead crinkled, “Do you think she’s getting bullied?” he asked, voice lacing with anger. 

“Wells asked me to come in and talk about it, so I guess we’ll see,” she continued, slumping against the counter.

“She’s a good kid, it’ll be okay. Let me know how it goes,” he said, placing his hand over hers and slid a to-go coffee cup toward her.

“Thanks Bell,” she smiled halfheartedly and turned to walk toward the school.

Fall was normally her favorite time of year, she loved the crunch of crisp leaves under her feet and the cool breeze. The town troubadour had shifted his repertoire from summery jigs to peaceful acoustic melodies.

Back to school season had always been her favorite and her love of it had only grown once she became a teacher. Growing up, school had been her reprieve and now her art room was like a second home.

Clarke adjusted the strap of her overalls and squared her shoulders when she reached the principal’s office. This wasn’t just her daughter’s school, it was also her boss’ office and she needed to keep her cool.

Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door and paused before entering. Wells was sitting at his desk, a large manila file open in front of him.

“Have a seat Ms. Griffin.”

“Sir, I know Madi has trouble relating well to her peers but she’s really smart and she works really hard-“ Clarke began, face heating as she came to her daughters defense.

“Ms. Griffin, your daughter is not in trouble,” the principal continued, rifling through his large stack of papers.

“What?” Clarke asked, dumbfounded.

“Quite the opposite actually. After reviewing your daughter’s transcripts and speaking with some of her middle school teachers, I have reason to believe Madi is gifted. Her social and behavior issues can largely be attributed to her classes not being challenging enough for her.”

“Gifted?” Clarke’s stomach dropped, she had heard that word used before. It had been said many times by Clarke’s own teachers growing up. She hated it. There was a certain pressure that was associated with it, expectations. She didn’t want that pressure on Madi.

“Yes, and as you know Polis High is a small school with limited resources. We don’t have access to courses that would be suitable for Madi’s level of academic potential. She would be much better off at a school that has extensive AP and Honors opportunities. I know it isn’t ideal considering the cost and distance, but currently her best option is Arkadia Hillside Prep.”

Clarke’s ears filled with static and it felt as if her chair had been pulled out from under her. The words Arkadia Hillside Prep brought back flashbacks of plaid skirts, fencing classes and mean girls who wrote nasty things about her on the bathroom walls. She felt sick. Principle Jaha was still talking but Clarke wasn’t really registering what he was saying. That school cost a fortune, there was no way that they would be able to afford something like that. An application for financial aid would get thrown in the trash the moment they saw her last name.

“I’m familiar with AHP, I attended school there,” she finally ground out, wiping her sweaty palms against her legs.

“Oh excellent, so you must understand the kind of opportunities this would provide for Madi!”

“I don’t want to put too much pressure on Madi or remove her from her environment, isn’t there any other option? Can’t we just assign her some extra work here?” Clarke mumbled, trying desperately to find a way out of this situation.

“I don’t think you understand. It would be an extreme disservice to Madi to keep her here, in fact I think it would impact her negatively in more ways than one. A more rigorous school would allow her to flourish both academically and socially. I think she would relate better to children who are similar to her in aptitude. Polis High is just not a good fit for her in any regard…I would seriously not consider allowing her to remain enrolled here.”

“Let me get this straight Wells. You’re suggesting our only option is a $45,000 a year school that is thirty minutes away? I’m sorry…did I miss the part where I struck oil in my backyard? Should I call Saudi Arabia and inform them of the good news?!” Clarke exclaimed, trying to keep her voice level. She knew her reaction was a little bit overdramatic but she had a long, tortured history with Hillside.

“Clarke, please. I think you’ll see in the long run that this is the best option for all parties. I would be more than happy to help you with the financial aid applications and make some calls for you,” he said, trying to diffuse the tension.

Clarke could feel steam pouring out of her ears, but she took a deep breath. She was being irrational. Clenching her fists and squeezing her eyes shut, she swallowed her pride.

“I’m sorry for my irritation but I didn’t exactly have the best experience at Hillside and I’m just concerned about forcing Madi to endure the same environment again.”

“Ms. Griffin I assure you a lot had changed since we were in school, kids are much nicer now. Hillside is one of the best academic institutions in the country for college preparation. I understand there are concerns involved but please at least consider the benefits.”

Clarke internally snorted, Wells had lived in Polis his entire life. He had absolutely no idea what he was talking about but she bit her tongue. He was trying to be helpful, and he was her boss. Sighing, she nodded and collected the brochures that he had piled in front of her.

She couldn’t believe that after all these years, Hillside Prep was coming back to haunt her.

XXX

Madi was sprawled out on the couch with a large book poised over her face, a documentary droning on in the background. Clarke popped into the living room to leave a bowl of popcorn out for her before slipping out into the sunroom and flopping down onto the overstuffed chair.

She buried into the old, worn fabric. It smelled musty and familiar; it was times like this that she longed for Indra. She would’ve understood. Indra would’ve seen why she couldn’t send Madi to Hillside, she would’ve understood what an impossible situation this was for her. It had been 3 years without her, and Clarke missed her every day.

Clarke had never had a strong mother figure in her life. Her relationship with Abby was tumultuous at best and hostile at worst. Abby had always been clinical and proper in every facet of her life. This made her an incredible socialite but a rather cold mother. Jake had always been the one she had gone to for emotional support and in the years after his death, she had felt isolated and lost. Finding Indra had felt similar to what she had shared with Jake, the closeness of having someone who understood you and would support you no matter what. She had taught Clarke so much about what if meant to be a good mom. 

She slipped her phone out of her pocket and thought back to the first time she had sat in this overstuffed chair. Madi had barely even been a person back then and Clarke had been so scared and so dumb. She had gotten on that bus to escape her old life, with the hopes of never having to hear the words Hillside Prep or Arkadia again. She thumbed through her contacts, before losing her nerve and locking her phone.

Sighing, she grudgingly hauled herself out of the chair and dipped back into the living room.

“What’s the vibe for dinner? Do you need a break or would you rather do take out?” she asked, placing her palm over Madi’s book so she was forced to look up.

“Takeout,” Madi replied, pushing Clarke’s hand out of the way.

Clarke was secretly relieved, she needed to talk to someone about this and she couldn’t do it with Madi around. She wondered whether she should swing by the garage on her way to get food so she could talk to Raven but it felt like an inefficient use of time. There was too much backstory for her to get any useful feedback and she would still have to get food from somewhere else.

It would probably be easier to go to Blake’s, Bellamy already knew about her meeting with Wells and he could make her a burger while she talked. It was only logical really, she decided, veering around the gazebo toward the worn front of the diner.

The rusty old bell tinkled above her head and she sighed in relief when she saw the place was almost completely empty. Old man Lewis was stationed in the corner, but Clarke wasn’t really sure if he ever left.

She slid onto one of the stools at the counter and folded her arms against it, leaning her chin against her wrist. She closed her eyes, listening to the clink of plates as Murphy shuffled in the back. Blake’s Diner was familiar and warm, it was exactly what she needed.

Bellamy came out from the kitchen with a dish towel thrown over his shoulder and stack of plates in hand. He was whistling to himself and jumped when he saw Clarke folded over the counter.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, setting down the plates and taking a seat on the stool next to her.

“Why does anything have to be wrong? Maybe I’m just here to brighten your day,” she teased halfheartedly, giving him a small smile.

“Because you aren’t behind the counter banging a gong,” he retorted, signaling at Murphy to bring out some burgers.

“It’s been a day and a half,” she sighed, swiveling the stool so her knees brushed his leg. “The meeting was bad…”

“Like I stubbed my toe bad? Or Chernobyl bad?” he asked gently, standing up to pour them both mugs of coffee. Clarke’s head was still tipped toward his empty stool and he smiled, grabbing the decaf pot instead of the regular one.

“He told me in the nicest way possible that I needed to find a new school for Madi,” she answered, taking the mug from him and pressing it against her cheek.

“What?!” he exclaimed, eyebrows shooting up to his hairline. “Are they allowed to do that? That can’t be legal,” he rambled, pulling out his phone and tapping furiously, “Google is not being helpful right now.”

“Trust me I looked,” Clarke answered, gently putting her palm over his phone screen. “He said that her social issues are because she’s gifted and too smart for Polis High. He wants her to go to Arkadia Hillside Prep instead.”

“Wait, that’s a good thing right? She’s smart. She’s too good for those bastards anyway. What’s the problem?” He asked, voice laced with confusion.

“I went to Hillside Prep, it’s everything I ran away from. I can’t go back there, and I can’t pay for it on my own. I can’t get a loan, I’m literally screwed. The only way I could send Madi there would be if I asked my mother for help.”

Bellamy hissed through his teeth and took a long drink from his mug. Clarke had only mentioned her mother a handful of times and it had never been brought on by anything overtly positive. He didn’t really know what to say so he reached out and placed a comforting hand against Clarke’s back. The heart of her skin radiated through her sweater and he resisted the urge to let his hand roam up and down.

“I could give you a loan if you want? I have some money saved-“ he began, mentally flipping through his finances.

“Bellamy, I could never…thank you, you’re amazing but I can’t take money from you.”

Bellamy sighed, dropping the offer but the worry sat heavy in his chest. He had watched Madi grow up, helped her pull out her first tooth, been there for every birthday. He wanted her to be happy, it pained him that Clarke wouldn’t take the help. It was times like this that he wished he and Clarke were more, that he would just take care of them both and make sure that they were always happy.

She reached out and buried her face in his chest, a small sob escaping from her throat. He enveloped her in a hug and squeezed, wishing he could take away all the pain. He rested his chin against her shoulder and let her cry. He wasn’t sure how long they sat there, it felt like years and seconds all at once before Murphy cleared his throat from the kitchen doorway. They both jerked and Clarke hastily wiped her tears from her eyes with the sleeves of her sweater.

She stood, straightening her back and took the brown paper bag from Murphy. She reached out and rubbed his shoulder, flashing him a grateful smile.

“I would say I owe you one…but you gave me decaf, so I think we’re even,” Clarke called over her shoulder as she waved to old man Lewis and left.

Clarke clutched the bag to her chest as she strolled across the town square. She breathed in through her nose and reveled in the scent of fries emanating from the bag. The situation was no better than it was before, but she felt lighter. Bellamy had a knack for that. It had been 14 years and he had never lost that magic. Even the coffee made her feel better, even if it was decaf.

She took the long way home, enjoying the sting of the fall air in her throat and pushed open the door to find Madi scrolling through Netflix.

“I’m stuck in the carousel of doom,” Madi groaned, watching the titles spin across the screen as she scrolled.

“As long as we aren’t watching a documentary, I’m fine with whatever…” Clarke laughed, dipping into the kitchen to grab two bottles of water.

“That’s a shame, there’s a really interesting biopic on Alexander The Great that I have saved,” Madi teased.

“Ew you sound like Bellamy…save that for the nerd nights where you two torture me and Raven.”

“Last time we had movie night, Wick made us watch Fast and Furious. Bellamy and I could do a lot worse than historical documentaries.”

“There has to be middle ground between Fast and Furious and a three hour analysis of British wallpaper.”

Madi shrugged and threw the remote to Clarke, she had reached the bottom of the feed and grown frustrated. Netflix was losing its charm more and more every day.

“I’m in a Terry Crews kind of mood tonight,” Clarke said, removing her burger and placing it on a plate. 

“Can we watch White Chicks?” Madi asked, digging through the greasy brown bag and shoving a handful of fries into her mouth.

Clarke clicked the movie on and knelt on the floor next to her daughter. Taking a massive bite of her burger, she eyed Madi from the corner of her eye. It was easy to forget how young Madi was but in this moment all she could see was her baby. She reached out and tucked a stray piece of hair behind Madi’s ear. As much as she hated to admit it, she didn’t have a choice; she knew what she had to do.

XXX

Clarke leaned her forehead against her steering wheel. She never expected to be sitting on this driveway again, hiding from her mother. Pulling down the sun visor, she adjusted her hair in the mirror and slipped out of her car. She had worn her most formal business dress, twisted her hair into an elegant knot and put on heels for the occasion. If she was going to do this, she wasn’t going to give Abby more fuel than she needed to.

The large stone mansion loomed over her, nothing about the gray bricks and high pillars had changed. Her ivory tower. It had never really felt like a home, not like Polis did but she had always loved running down the long corridors when she played hide and seek with her dad.

The oak doors were tall and intimidating, framed with brass lion headed knockers. They had always scared Clarke. When she was a kid, she had nightmares about them eating her. As she reached out to ring the doorbell, she wished the lions would reach out and eat her on the spot. Part of her hoped that her mother wasn’t home, but she knew that was wishful thinking. Abby Griffin’s schedule hadn’t changed in 25 years.

The door swung open and Clarke came face to face with an imposing Eastern European woman.

“Can I help you?” she asked coldly, eyeing Clarke from head to toe.

“I’m Clarke Griffin, I’m here to speak with my mother and Marcus,” she answered, squirming under the scrutiny.

The woman stepped backward, allowing Clarke to step inside and gave her a sharp nod before turning and disappearing into the house.

Clarke shifted her weight from one foot to the other. This house hadn’t changed one bit in the fourteen years that she had been gone. A giant oil painting of Clarke still hung in the entryway and she wrinkled her nose. She hated that portrait, it made had her look constipated. If she looked at it for too long, she could still feel the white lace of her dress itching the back of her neck.

Footsteps echoed behind her and she turned to face her mother and step-father. They both hadn’t changed a bit, save for some Botox on Abby’s forehead and a few grey hairs at Marcus’ temples.

“Well, well, not exactly who I was expecting to see on a Tuesday afternoon,” Abby said sharply, placing her hands on her hips. She was still wearing the same Chanel skirt set that she had worn when Clarke was a child and something about her stare made Clarke feel like she was in middle school again.

Clarke was about to answer when Marcus interrupted, “Why don’t we all sit down,” he suggested, gesturing toward the sitting room. If he was uncomfortable, he didn’t show it.

Abby poured herself a glass of white wine and took a seat next to Marcus on the ornate couch. Clarke perched on a stiff chaise lounge; her mother had never been one for sensible furniture. Everything in this house had served to be ornate rather than functional. The hard leather under her legs made her long for Indra’s overstuffed armchair.

“I know this is unexpected, I’m sorry for barging in like this but I need your help,” Clarke said, pushing her pride down into the dungeons of her soul.

“Interesting how you need our help now, after you climbed out of the window in the middle of the night with my granddaughter and never let me see her again,” Abby snapped, draining her wine glass.

“That’s why I’m here. For Madi. She’s smart. Like off the charts smart and our town’s high school isn’t exactly state of the art. Arkadia Hillside Prep is the best option for her,” Clarke continued, tipping her chin and meeting her mother’s gaze. She wasn’t going to feel ashamed for trying to give her daughter a better future.

Abby and Marcus balked at her but neither of them moved to say anything, so Clarke went on. She had to finish this before she lost her nerve.

“I’ve really made something of myself, I’m a teacher now and I’m trying to open an art school with my friend Raven, but I don’t make the kind of money to pay for a school like Hillside. I know it’s a lot to ask and I normally never would, but it’s for Madi, not for me. She has nowhere else to go and I’m at a loss on what to do,” she finished, looking up from her lap to meet Abby’s gaze.

Abby’s hardened stare had softened, and she was giving Clarke an unreadable look.

“If we’re doing this, I want dinners. All of us together. Every Friday night. I want to be a part of Madi’s life again and yours,” Abby said finally, running her fingers through the strand of pearls around her neck.

“Deal. But I don’t want her to know I’m taking money from you. As far as she knows, she just getting to know her grandparents,” Clarke agreed. If she had to deal with her mother once a week so that Madi could go to school, then she would suck it up.

“Deal,” Abby nodded, sitting up from the couch and striding out of the room.

Marcus shifted awkwardly on the couch and gave Clarke a half smile. They had never been very comfortable around each other, but Clarke couldn’t really fault him for trying. She gave him a nod and stood to leave the house.

“She’s really happy about this, even if she’s not showing it,” Marcus said quietly. “She’s missed you.”

Clarke took a deep breath through her nose and gave Marcus a half smile as she turned to leave the house. She had reached her limit, she needed to get out of here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Hope you're enjoying the story! Ideas, feedback and constructive criticism is always appreciated!! 
> 
> Also, if anyone is willing to edit this story I would die from joy! Help is always appreciated :)


	3. Second Generation Hillside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ALL the Griffin girls take on the first day at Hillside Prep.

Clarke perched anxiously on the edge of the couch; a plaid skirt bunched up in her hands. The old clock on the wall tickled slowly. Madi should be home any minute and she had to be ready. The check had cleared, Madi had officially been accepted to Arkadia Hillside Prep and Clarke had officially sold her soul to the devil, also known as Abby Griffin.

The lock clicked and the door swung open. Clarke jumped into action and began blaring Uptown Girl through the speakers.

Madi paused in the door, confused as she took in the loud music and Clarke surrounded by a sea of finger sandwiches.

“What the heck?” Madi asked, forehead creasing with confusion.

“Congratulations fancy girl,” Clarke cheered in an over the top British accent, stepping forward to put a crown on Madi’s head and placing a gaudy fake pearl necklace around her neck.

“Mom? Are you okay? Are you having a stroke or something?” Madi frowned, reaching out to place the back of her hand against Clarke’s forehead.

Clarke rolled her eyes and removed Madi’s hand before reached over to grab the plaid skirt. She gently placed it in Madi’s hands, grinning widely as her confusion grew.

“I know Polis high hasn’t been an easy place for you. That big ole brain of yours needs something a little more high brow,” Clarke began, gauging Madi’s reaction, “You deserve to go to a school that appreciates how smart you are. Sooo you’re going to Arkadia Hillside Prep!”

Madi gaped wordlessly at Clarke, clutching the skirt against her chest.

“See for yourself,” Clarke smiled, handing Madi the large embossed envelope.

Madi gently opened the envelope and pulled out her acceptance letter, scanning it carefully. Then, she dropped the letter and squealed, lunging at Clarke and tackling her against the couch.

“Oh my God, this is the best school in the state, possibly in the country! Thank you, thank you, thank you mom! I can’t believe this,” Madi exclaimed, hugging her mother tightly.

But after her excitement wore down, Madi sat back and Clarke could see the wheels turning in her head.

“How is this happening? How are we paying for this? A school like this has got to be crazy expensive,” Madi asked quietly, looking down at her hands.

“Let me worry about that. You deserve this Mads, your potential is wasted at a small town school like Polis,” Clarke assured, tucking a stray piece of hair behind Madi’s ear.

Madi still looked weary of her explanation but reached out and stuffed a finger sandwich in her mouth. Excitement was rolling off of her and Clarke smiled. This would all be worth it. Madi would be happy, she could be herself. She could finally make some friends. Maybe she could even go to Harvard or Yale. This school would probably change Madi’s life.

Chewing the sandwich, Madi grimaced, “I love the effort here, but did you make these?”

Frowning, Clarke took a sandwich from the tray and shoved it in her mouth. Within seconds, she spit it back into her palm. Cooking had never been her strong suit, but she was honestly shocked that she had managed to screw up a sandwich.

“Let’s go to Blake’s,” Madi suggested, squeezing Clarke’s knee as she stood up.

“Fine, but you’re keeping the tiara on,” Clarke smiled, wrapping an arm around Madi’s shoulders.

“Of course, how else will Bellamy know I’m a fancy private school princess now?”

**October 30th, 2004**

Clarke stepped out into the cold, fall day with Madi sleeping in her stroller. She still wasn’t used to Polis, it was nothing like the town she had grown up in. It was tiny, only spanning a few blocks but always bustling with people. Everyone she had met so far had been kind and friendly, people were always stopping to wave and smile at her and Madi. She loved it here, it felt like this was what she had been missing her whole life. This was where she belonged.

Living on her own wasn’t bad so far either, sure she had to learn how to do laundry and make beds but having her own space felt good. It wasn’t much, the guesthouse was just a bedroom and a kitchen but it was theirs. The only thing she hadn’t quite figured out yet was cooking. After two weeks of terrible instant coffee and microwave dinners, she needed the real thing. And according to Indra, Blake’s was the best place to find it.

The bell above the door jingled as she swung open the old wooden door. The diner was old school, simply decorated with vintage posters and pale blue walls. It looked like it had once been an old hardware store. She took a seat at one of the mismatched tables, placing Madi’s stroller beside her. There was something charming about this place, it had no pretenses, it just was. She browsed a sticky menu; She had been dying for a decent burger and fries since she’d gotten here.

A man emerged from the back and towered over her. He was massive, Clarke had to crane her neck to meet his gaze. 

“Ah the new girl, welcome to Blake’s,” he said matter-of-factly, pulling out an old order pad.

“Name’s Clarke and this is Madi,” Clarke answered, gesturing to the baby in the stroller.

He smiled at Madi and pointed his pen at her, “What’ll you have?” he asked.

“A burger and a coffee please,” she said, a light blush spreading across her cheeks as she took in his dark messy hair and broad shoulders. Objectively, he was incredibly attractive. 

“I’ve just got black coffee, none of that fancy latte gunk and definitely no vanilla,” he answered, eyes flitting over her, “that fine Princess?”

Clarke scowled at the nickname, “are you always this grumpy?”

“It’s part of the charm,” he said gruffly, clicking his pen and walking away.

Clarke watched his retreating form, shaking her head at his unfriendliness. What was his problem? He was possibly the only rude person in the entirety of Polis, but something about him intrigued her.

Shaking her head, she picked up a stay newspaper from the table behind her and flipped through the lifestyle section.

Bellamy returned and wordlessly dropped off her food, setting the coffee cup down a little harder than necessary. She ignored him and continued skimming the newspaper, waiting until he was out of sight before she started eating.

She was halfway through her burger when a dark haired girl slid into the seat next to her.

“You must be the new girl, I’m Raven,” the girl said, sticking her hand out for Clarke to shake.

“Did someone put my face on a milk carton? How does everyone know that?” Clarke asked, confused.

“Polis is small, most of us were born here. Word spreads fast and new people are easy to spot,” Raven shrugged, stealing a fry off Clarke’s plate.

“So, you know everyone?” Clarke asked, taking a long sip of coffee.

“Pretty much. What do you want to know?”

“What’s the deal with the guy who owns this place, why’s he so…” Clarke began, stealing a glance at him from across the diner.

“Grumpy?” Raven finished, laughing to herself.

“Yeah,” Clarke agreed, blushing a little under Raven’s amusement.

“He’s all bark and no bite. Bellamy’s a total softie don’t let the snark get to you,” she assured.

Clarke and Raven chatted aimlessly, it was nice to have someone her own age to talk to. Raven ran the town garage and seemed like she didn’t take shit from anyone. She had grown up in Polis and gave Clarke a run-down of everyone relevant in town. Clarke liked her and they made plans to meet up for coffee again sometime soon.

Clarke smiled to herself, leaning back in her chair as Raven left to go back to work.

“I think we just made our first friend,” she whispered to Madi’s sleeping form, finishing the last of her coffee.

She eyed Bellamy, who was standing behind the counter chatting with an older man. His face broke into a smile and soft dimples emerged to frame his bright white teeth. Despite herself, she couldn’t help but stare. He was striking and something about him intrigued her, even if he was extremely rude.

Tearing her gaze away from Bellamy, she slid two 5 dollar bills under the corner of her plate. Against her better judgement, she tore off a piece of the newspaper and scribbled a note on it, tucking it in between the cash.

**September 29th, 2019 **

Clarke padded down the hallway, fuzzy socks gliding against the hardwood floor. It was late, but she knew Madi and how she got when she was nervous. She gently pushed open Madi’s bedroom door and slipped under the covers. Madi immediately snuggled up to her, wrapping an arm around her torso. It took Clarke back to a time when Madi was tiny and they used to share a full sized bed, snuggling together every night.

“What if they don’t like me?” Madi whispered softly, “I don’t know if I can do this.”

“You are the smartest person I’ve ever met. You’ve read all these amazing books, you are so passionate and driven. No matter what those kids think tomorrow, you belong there,” Clarke assured, pressing a kiss against her forehead.

“If I hate it, will you pick me up?”

“I picked you up when you kicked your preschool teacher out of spite and I’ll pick you up again. I’ll even pick you up from jail someday if it ever gets to that point, but you should probably avoid kicking people in your adult life.”

Madi snorted but ignored Clarke’s comment. “What was it like when you went there?” she asked, voice small.

“Umm, that was a long time ago. I’m sure it’s very different now but I bet you look a lot better than I did in that uniform. Those button down shirts were not my friend, I got at least twenty dress code violations for indecent exposure,” Clarke laughed.

Madi giggled and sniffed, wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her sweatshirt.

“I love you to the end of the world and back,” Madi murmured, closing her eyes.

“I love you to the moon and the stars,” Clarke whispered back, leaning her head against Madi’s.

XXX

“Well. This is it,” Clarke announced, pulling into the stone pathway that led to Hillside Prep. Much like her childhood home, nothing about this place had changed. Ivy still lined the castle like walls and massive stone lions guarded the double doors. All old buildings around here must have been built by the same person, or her mother just been penchant for draconian design.

Even the uniforms hadn’t changed, Madi wore the same plaid skirt, button down blouse and knee socks that Clarke had worn 15 years ago. A rush of unpleasant memories flashed through her head, but she pushed them down. Today was about Madi, not her.

Madi’s sat silently in the passenger’s seat, staring up at the school in awe. “It looks like Hogwarts,” she said finally, nervously smoothing down her skirt.

Clarke turned to her daughter, reaching out to hold her hand. “You’re going to be amazing. You are so smart, capable, funny and cool; everyone is going to love you. This is going to be so much better than Polis high, I can already feel it in my bones. And my bones haven’t lied to me yet,” she assured.

Madi reached out and gave Clarke a tight hug, burying her face against Clarke’s neck. They sat like that for a moment until a sharp knock on the window shocked them apart.

Abby Griffin stood just outside of Clarke’s window in a blue Chanel skirt set, prim and proper as usual.

“And that, would be your grandmother,” Clarke deadpanned, giving Madi a halfhearted smile. She didn’t want Madi to absorb her negative feelings for her mother, so she was trying to be positive.

“Madison!” Abby grinned, reaching out to hug her granddaughter as she climbed out of the car. They had only met the week prior and Madi was still a little stiff as she hugged back. “You look beautiful, the Hillside colors suit you so well,” she fawned, adjusting Madi’s black satin headband.

“Thank you, grandma,” Madi replied shyly, extracting herself from Abby’s grip.

“What’re you doing here mom?” Clarke gritted out, trying to keep her voice even.

Abby’s smile faded as she turned to Clarke, “I’m here to wish my beautiful granddaughter luck on her first day. Now, you couldn’t have worn something more appropriate for the occasion?” she snipped, eying Clarke’s bun, overalls and cream sweatshirt. “You look so pretty when you dress like an adult.”

“It’s Madi’s first day of school, not mine,” Clarke huffed.

“Yes, but that’s not exactly appropriate attire to meet the headmaster in,” Abby said curtly, wrapping her hand around Madi’s elbow and guiding her into the building.

“Wait, the headmaster?” Madi squeaked, giving her grandma a doe eyed look of panic.

“William is an old friend of mine and Marcus, I play mahjong with his wife Annalise. There’s nothing to be worried about, he seems rather impressed by you,” Abby assured, glancing over her shoulder to gesture that Clarke follow.

Clarke sighed; she should have known that her mother would commandeer this whole situation but there was nothing she could do. As long as Abby was footing the bill, she called the shots. Clarke knew what she was doing, Madi was the daughter that Abby had always wanted; she was smart, respectful, driven and generally uninterested in boys. Clarke wished she had the foresight to wear something more formal, this didn’t need to be more embarrassing than it already was.

The inside of the school had changed even less than the outside. It was all very Ivy League and it made Clarke’s skin crawl. They hadn’t updated this place since the 1800s and Clarke laughed to herself as she wondered whether her bathroom graffiti was still hidden under the second floor sink.

Abby breezed past the receptionist and entered the headmaster’s office without knocking, Madi nervously shuffling behind her.

The headmaster was a portly man with a kind face and a well groomed white mustache. He stood and wrapped Abby in a tight hug, then reached out to shake Madi’s hand. His smile faltered when he landed on Clarke and her neck burned under the scrutiny of his gaze. Squaring her shoulders, she lifted her chin and curtly said, “Hello Headmaster Jameson, so good to see you again.” Before taking her seat beside Madi.

Headmaster Jameson eyed her for a minute longer before sitting down as well and diving into an introduction to the school for Madi. Clarke squirmed in her chair, she knew the kind of things that must be going through his head. Her mother loved to lament about her wasted potential and she was sure William shared the sentiment. Clarke was supposed to have been a Hillside crown jewel; Colombia bound, pre-med, set to take over the family empire but she had messed it all up when she had gotten pregnant her senior year. He had been quick to expel her then and Clarke was sure he still remembered the horrifically awkward meeting that followed.

But she kept her head high, she wasn’t ashamed of the way her life turned out. She had raised a great kid, avoided a terrible marriage to a douchebag and escaped her mother’s grip. Clarke was doing this for Madi, and she didn’t need to prove herself to anyone especially people who had never really cared about her in the first place.

The meeting ended without much ceremony and Madi was shipped toward class, leaving Clarke and Abby alone in an empty hallway.

“I can’t believe you did that without telling me,” Clarke huffed, making her way to the exit.

“It’s the proper thing for Madi to meet with the headmaster on her first day. If we are going to do this it’s going to be done correctly,” Abby snapped back, heels clicking against the Japanese tile.

“I’m sorry, you just took me by surprise,” Clarke resigned, sucking up her pride.

“I just wanted the school to know that she is a _Griffin_.”

“And what a good thought that was.”

“So, I’ll see you on Friday then? Please leave the sweatshirt at home,” Abby said finally, gliding away toward her Mercedes.

XXX

“I’ve had the longest day of my entire life and it’s 10:30am,” Clarke groaned, plopping down on her usual stool at Blake’s.

“Well you’re in luck, I’m out of coffee. Brewed some herbal tea just for you,” Bellamy deadpanned.

“Not funny.”

“I’m not kidding,” he raised an eyebrow.

“This is a sick joke, you’re a fiend, an evil fiend. This is a coffee morning, I had to see my mother!” she cried, reaching out to grip his forearm.

His stoic face broke into a closed mouth smile and he turned, grabbing a pot and pouring her a large cup.

“One of these days, I’m actually going to run out.”

“And that will be the day that I die.”

“I’ll make arrangements accordingly, the perfect crime.”

“You’re evil…but you give me coffee, so I’ll allow it.”

“Did you eat breakfast?” he asked, eyeing her as she poured another cup of coffee.

“Five whole animal crackers…might have a Lean Pocket later,” she replied, grinning as he winced and turned back toward the kitchen.

Clarke phone buzzed and the screen lit up with her mother’s name. She answered, grimacing as Abby immediately went off on a tangent.

“NO PHONES,” Bellamy yelled from the back and Clarke quickly hopped off the stool to dip outside.

“What size does Madi wear? She’s quite small so I assumed a 2 but I wanted to be sure. How many uniforms does she have?” Abby rambled.

“She wears a 2 and she has three uniforms which is plenty,” Clarke answered, leaning against the window.

“There are five days of school in a week, she’ll need more.”

“Mom, you’re not going believe this, but Polis just got this new-fangled thing called a washing machine. They just installed it in the town square, we get to use it every other Tuesday,” Clarke deadpanned.

“Hilarious Clarke. I think she would like a school sweater or some nice socks. I’ll definitely be getting her a Hillside winter coat and the sweater set, she’ll be needing it soon.”

“Do you have a stake in the spirit store?”

“She needs these things, we don’t want her sticking out,” Abby said condescendingly.

“Bye mom,” Clarke began.

“Oh fine, I’ll see you on Friday for dinner. Please do not forget,” Abby chided and hung up.

Rolling her eyes, Clarke re-entered the diner just in time to see Bellamy set a bagel sandwich on the counter.

“Bless you,” she sighed, taking a bite. Bellamy nodded and took a seat next to her with his own plate of avocado toast.

“So, I take it the first day didn’t exactly go as planned?” he asked, turning his stool so their knees brushed together.

“My mother commandeered the whole thing and I had to go to a meeting with my former headmaster in a sweatshirt,” she sighed.

“Ah what a great first impression. Did he heckle you and make all the school children throw cake at you until you left?”

“I was publicly shamed, they hung a sign around my neck that said ‘teen mom’ and made me stand outside in my sweatshirt.”

“How highbrow,” he laughed, shaking salt onto his toast.

“The place hasn’t changed at all since I went there but Madi’s a lot better suited for it than I was,” she continued, picking poppy seeds off her bagel.

“Well, they missed out on you but they’re not going to miss out on her,” he assured, squeezing her shoulder lightly.

“I hope so…she’s had a rough go at things when it comes to school, I really want this to be good for her.”

“They’re all nerds, right? If anything, she’ll be popular.”

“I just don’t want them to be mean to her, those girls can be snobby.” 

“Well I remember someone who used to be a little snobby and she ended up being pretty okay,” he smiled, eyes sparkling.

Clarke smiled and shoved him lightly as he stood up to go back to work.

“See you later princess,” he grinned, disappearing into the back.

Clarke slipped a ten dollar bill under her plate and slipped out, smile still on her face. Leaves fell around her as she walked toward Polis High, a bounce in her step as she entered her classroom. Raven was perched on one of the tables, tapping on her phone. Her gaze flicked up as Clarke opened the blinds.

“Someone’s got some pep in their step this morning,” Raven laughed, standing to give Clarke a hug. “I take it the first day of school went well?”

“Not quite, I’m just extra caffeinated,” She shrugged, walking two handfuls of paintbrushes to the sink for rinsing.

“Ah so this is a Bellamy induced happy,” Raven said knowingly, shooting Clarke a sly smile.

“Shut up,” Clarke exclaimed, flicking a wet paintbrush at Raven.

“I’m just saying, neither of you are particularly peppy people but you both always seem extra sunny when you’re around each other…”

“My mom crashed the first day of school,” Clarke said, changing the subject entirely. She turned to dry her brushes, hiding her blush.

XXX

“What if you told them that I flew out of the window on the way here,” Clarke asked, turning to Madi from across the center console.

“Like a Starbucks napkin or a skinny legend,” Madi giggled, rolling her eyes and jumping out of the Jeep.

“Finally free, floating down the highway, singing Mariah Carey,” Clarke laughed but remained firmly in the driver’s seat with the door closed.

“We’re going to be late…you know how grandma gets,” Madi huffed, opening Clarke’s door with her hands propped on her hips.

“I hate when you’re responsible,” Clarke teased, throwing her arm around Madi’s shoulders as she climbed out of the car and approached the door. It swung open before they could even knock, and Abby stood in the doorway.

“You’re late,” she said simply, turning to walk further into the house. The terrified Eastern European maid stood trembling in the corner and Clarke flashed her a sympathetic smile as they passed.

Madi gave Clarke a knowing look over her crystal glass of sprite as they took their seats in the sitting room. It had been a few weeks of Friday dinners now, but the tension of the whole situation hadn’t eased much.

Just as they had settled with their drinks, Marcus strode in with a glass of whisky in his hand and an apology over a work call running long. Clarke had never liked Marcus very much, Abby had married him when Clarke was 16 but he had been around the family since she was born. They were work friends, the two of the best surgeons in Arkadia and Clarke had a sneaking suspicion their relationship had begun long before her dad died. 

Maybe that’s why Marcus had always bothered her so much, he was everything her dad had hated. Perfectly groomed and immaculately dressed at all times, a fitting spouse for Abby’s high society lifestyle. Together they made the perfect polished couple and Clarke had never fit well into their familial mold.

Marcus chatted amiably with Madi about the news while Abby dipped into the kitchen to check on the progress of dinner.

“I had an excellent conversation with Slade Collins at the club last weekend, he said that Finn sold his company and is thinking about moving up to Boston,” he said casually, gaze flitting toward Clarke before turning back to Madi, “your father is a very smart man, no surprise you’ve got such an incredible brain.”

Clarke seethed, knuckles clenching around the stem of her wine glass. Marcus was oblivious to Clarke’s reaction and continued rambling about Finn as they made their way toward the dining room. Madi was nodding politely but Clarke had reached her limit. She bypassed the table and dipped into the kitchen, pacing the length of the large counter. Madi had a decent, comfortable relationship with her father but she couldn’t believe that Marcus was tone deaf enough to bring it up at dinner. This was obviously targeted; she couldn’t believe she had been dumb enough to think they would let her past go so easily.

The kitchen door swung open and Abby strode in, glaring at the maid until she nervously skittered into the other room.

“Come back outside Clarke, you’re being dramatic,” Abby huffed impatiently.

“What does he think he’s doing? Bringing up Finn like that?” Clarke exclaimed, slamming her wine glass down on the counter. Chardonnay spilled onto the counter and Clarke relished a little in the mess she was making.

“He likes Finn! Marcus wasn’t trying to insult you, he was just making conversation!”

“He didn’t seem to like Finn when he got me pregnant, interesting how he’s president of the fan club now!”

“You were seventeen years old Clarke! You had your whole life ahead of you, excuse us for being angry at the time.”

“You just wanted to control me! That’s what you’ve always wanted!”

“You were a child! I just wanted what was best for you, I wanted you to have a future. You were so smart. You had Colombia and medical school; you were going to follow your dreams.”

“At the risk of sounding like the star of a Disney Channel Movie, Colombia was never my dream mom…you know that. Marrying Finn and becoming a doctor were never in the cards for me.”

“When you get pregnant, you get married. That’s just right. You could’ve deferred Colombia for a year and let us help you. If you had done things properly, imagine how successful you would’ve been.”

“I am successful mom! I have a great job that I love, I raised a smart, amazing kid and I have a great support system,” Clarke yelled, voice cracking.

“So, imagine where you would have gotten if you hadn’t jumped out of the window in the middle of the night like a criminal?!”

“Is this how it’s going to be from now on? I took money from you so now I have to spend every Friday for the rest of my life listening to you dredge up my entire life’s history, soak it in expensive brandy and set it on fire?”

“Well maybe if you had just listened when you were younger, you wouldn’t be asking me for money now.”

“If that money was for anything other than Madi’s future, I would be long gone,” Clarke answered coldly, crossing her arms. She was exhausted, it had only been a few minutes but she felt like she had aged twenty years from this conversation.

“Well then you get the moral high ground and I get dinners with my granddaughter, we both win,” Abby said coolly, pushing past Clarke and walking back into the dining room.

Clarke chugged the remnants of her wine and sighed, the faster she went back outside the sooner this would be over. She knew this would have happened eventually but she wished Madi hadn’t found out about the loan this way. In retrospect she probably should’ve kept her voice down.

XXX

“Why didn’t you tell me that you took money from grandma?” Madi asked quietly, fingers fiddling with the hem of her dress.

“Because that’s my battle to fight not yours,” Clarke answered, reaching out to place a hand over her daughter’s.

“I don’t have to go to Hillside…I can just go back to Polis High! The skirts are itchy anyway.”

Clarke smiled, and squeezed Madi’s hand. It never failed to blow her mind how great her kid was. If anything, it solidified why she was doing this in the first place.

“Kid…you’re almost too good sometimes I swear. I don’t know how I got so lucky. You are so deserving of going to a school like Hillside and I’m not going to let my problems with your grandma get in the way of that. They’re my problems, not yours.”

“Okay well let me buy you a coffee then?” Madi asked earnestly, holding Clarke’s hand in both of hers.

“It’s like you read my mind,” Clarke grinned, pulling the old car into the spot in front of Blake’s.

They entered the diner to find Bellamy hunched over the counter with hundreds of paint chips laid out in front of him. His brow was furrowed, and he ran his hands through his messy hair as he sifted through the chips.

Clarke slipped behind the counter to get herself a cup of coffee, while Madi took a seat at a nearby table. When Bellamy didn’t look up to yell at her, Clarke sided up against him, pressing their shoulders together. The lack of gruff chiding was worrying.

“What’s wrong?” she asked carefully, eying him. He had traded in his usual plaid shirt and baseball hat for a dress shirt and nice slacks. He looked…handsome, Clarke had never really seen him like this, and it made her chest warm. His hair curled loosely around his ears and she wanted to run her hand through it, to help ease the tension in his shoulders.

“Met with my accountant today and-“ Bellamy began, turning to face her before pausing with his brows furrowed. He looked her up and down, confusion etched onto his face. “You look nice…really fancy,” he mumbled, stumbling a little bit over what he was saying, “I mean you always look nice but like this is a different kind of nice.”

Clarke smiled, reaching out to place a hand on his arm, “Thanks, you look nice too,” she admitted.

Bellamy held her gaze for a moment, eyes flicking down to where her hand lay on his arm, before turning back to the paint chips. “I met with my accountant and I’m underbudget, so he suggested I do some renovations. Nobody has really touched anything in here since my mom set it up in the 80s and I honestly don’t know what to do.”

“Ohh, can I help? I give Sherwin Williams a run for his money,” Clarke asked eagerly, bouncing on her stool. “Pleaseee?”

“Uhhhmmmm…”

“C’mon Bell.”

“You seriously want to sit around in the middle of the night and paint the walls?”

“In the middle of the night?”

“I don’t think the customers would like it very much if I painted while they were trying to eat a BLT.”

“Ah yes, old man Jensen would be very upset.”

“Exactly.”

“Would you rather do it alone? That seems kind of creepy, what if there’s ghosts?”

“There are no ghosts.”

“I’m trying to help here…give me enough coffee and I won’t even know whether it’s day or night.”

“If you leave me alone now I’ll let you help,” he shrugged.

“You won’t regret this!” Clarke cheered, her sour mood from earlier was long gone and she grinned as she slid off the stool and walked toward Madi.

“Yeah, yeah you’re a genius, Michelangelo,” He teased, following behind her, “So what’s with the getup?”

“Dinner with my dear mother and her darling husband,” Clarke answered, sitting heavily in the vinyl chair.

“Mom was a real trooper,” Madi added, closing her menu.

“In that case, I think milkshakes are in order,” Bellamy smiled, plucking Madi’s menu from her hands and turning toward the kitchen.

“What was that all about?” Madi asked slyly, flicking her gaze between Clarke and the kitchen.

“I was just offering to help Bellamy paint the diner,” Clarke shrugged, rearranging the ketchup and mustard bottles on the sticky table.

“Like a date?” Madi said nonchalantly, pulling the ketchup bottle away from Clarke.

“No. Like two friends doing some good old painting together,” Clarke answered, lightly stepping on Madi’s foot as Bellamy came by with two enormous milkshakes.

“Bless you,” Madi grinned. 

Bellamy gave them both a fond smile and turned back to his paint swatches. The diner was empty except the three of them and old man Lewis. Clarke sighed and leaned back into her seat with her milkshake, days like this really made her grateful for Polis.

“How’s Hillside going?” Clarke asked, taking a long sip. She was trying to come off as casual, but she was worried. Madi wasn’t one to open up about her feelings and she had always had trouble with friends.

“There’s this girl, Ginger. At first, I thought she was mean but I think it’s just because she thought I was a threat. She’s kind of in with the cool girls but she’s also super aggressive so it’s hard to pin. We’re either going to be best friends or enemies.”

“Well that’s a start but you know you don’t have to approach making friends like The Art of War.”

“Yeah yeah, I should just be myself and everyone will be attracted to my sparkling personality,” Madi droned sarcastically, pursing her lips and tilting her chin to mimic Clarke.

“You laugh, but its true. You’re very cool, I would know.”

“Of course you think I’m cool! You’re my mom.”

“Bellamy thinks you’re cool too…right Bell?” Clarke yelled, throwing a sugar packet at the back of his head.

“You’re very cool Madi,” Bellamy deadpanned, before turning around and leaving them both to dissolve into a fit of giggles.

XXX

“What if we painted the walls purple!?” Clarke suggested, holding up a paint swatch.

“Yeah and then we can put up Hello Kitty stickers to match,” Bellamy answered sarcastically from his spot next to Clarke at the counter.

“I really think it compliments your complexion,” she continued, pressing the swatch against his cheek.

Bellamy did not look amused and she resigned, withdrawing the chip and moving to sift through the greens.

“I like that one,” he said, pointing to a forest green color.

“Me too and it also suits your complexion,” Clarke smiled, wiggling the small square between her fingers.

“I’ll pick it up after closing,” Bellamy called over his shoulder, sliding off the stool and turning toward the throng of customers that had settled into the diner for the lunch rush.

Clarke’s phone rang and she waved goodbye to Bellamy as she left the diner. She had put off her day for long enough, it was time to face the music.

She took the long road home as she aimlessly chatted with Raven. But instead of turning into their driveway, she continued down street. She turned the corner and entered the historical part of town. The streets were lined with older, more classic homes, the used bookstore, the tailor and the town church. It was where the more traditional townspeople tended to live and was noticeably quieter. Past the church, at the very end of the block, was Indra’s house. 

Time had not treated it well and the grass had grown into an absolute mess over the years. Grief had kept Clarke away, but it hurt her heart to see it look like this. Indra couldn’t keep up with the property once she had gotten sick and working at the school had kept Clarke too busy to help. The guilt of it still burned in her chest, she had owed the older woman so much and she hadn’t been there for her when she needed her.

The driveway leading to the house was covered with branches, the house was barely visible from the road. It had just become the creepy old building on the edge of town. The state of it got brought up at every townhall meeting but talks of demolition were always quickly shut down by Clarke. She could never let that happen. This had been Madi’s first home and she couldn’t let Indra’s legacy fade away like that.

Clarke kicked the branches out of the way as she walked toward the house. Indra had left this whole place to her, she hadn’t had any other family left. Clarke had never felt right having the money and had always planned on using it to try and fix the place up.

When Polis High’s art program got hit with a major budget cut (and Clarke got hit with a major pay cut), it only seemed fitting to try and fix up the long run down art school. The kids of Polis deserved to have a creative outlet, even if the school board didn’t seem to agree.

She carefully stepped into the old home, propping her phone against her shoulder. It was pretty empty, Indra had sold a lot of it when she moved into assisted living and had given the more sentimental stuff to Madi and Clarke. It was almost creepy and the hollowness of it all sat like a pit in her stomach.

“This is worse than I thought…” Clarke said to Raven, running her fingers against the empty shelves.

“I mean we knew it was going to be bad,” Raven answered. She was generally a bit more levelheaded than Clarke when it came to things like this and she didn’t have an emotional attachment to the building in the same way.

“Yeah but I figured some of that was Jaha being dramatic. If anything he was underreacting to this.”

Raven had agreed to go in on the project with Clarke, her woodshop classes had been cut with the budget changes as well and the school was a good way to keep the art of woodcraft alive. Plus, it didn’t hurt to have someone around who actually knew how to use a saw. Clarke was excited, Raven was one of her best friends and they made a good team. Hopefully they could give the kids of Polis a place that they could be themselves and express their feelings.

“Okay go through and see if you can catalogue all the things that need fixing, I’ll look at it after school and see how much it’s going to cost us. I could probably do the smaller stuff and maybe even some of the bigger stuff if we can get Bellamy to help,” Raven assured, raising her voice as the hum of students began to raise behind her.

“I can do that. And Bellamy gifts me with five hours of handyman work for my birthday every year so I can probably cash in on that too. I’ve been saving them for the new shelves in my kitchen but this is a better cause.”

“Of course he does,” Raven laughed, amusement etched into her voice. She had never really understood the dynamic between Bellamy and Clarke. They were kind of like an old married couple that never kissed. It was both endearing and extremely confusing. Unbeknownst to them both, their relationship was a popular debate topic among people in town. “I have an autoshop class in five minutes, just text me the list whenever,” she finished, hanging up the phone before Clarke had a chance to respond. The teachers weren’t technically supposed to use their phones during the school day and she couldn’t risk getting caught.

Clarke slipped her phone back into her pocket and shook her head. She wasn’t sure why her and Bellamy had become a topic of conversation again. The rumors popped up every few years, but nothing ever came of them so eventually everyone got bored and forgot. They had been best friends for ten years, people just needed to accept it.

She opened her notes app and began cataloguing the damage. There wasn’t really a good place to start, honestly the entire building would need an overhaul to become habitable again. Once she got going though, it was quick work and she managed to finish the entire house in a few hours. She skipped the guesthouse, the day had been emotionally draining and she wasn’t sure she could take anymore.

XXX

Bellamy finished draping dropcloths over the tables as Clarke barreled into the diner with an armful of painting supplies and a tiny speaker tucked under her arm. The speaker was already blasting Mr. Blue Sky and Bellamy smiled, reaching out to ease the load in her arms.

She beamed at him, triumphantly pulling out a few pieces of paper and laying them out on the table. Upon closer inspection, he realized they were logos.

“There’s the big blank wall between the kitchen and the counter, I thought maybe we could write ‘Blake’s’ really big across it!” Clarke said cheerfully, tucking a stray curl behind her ear.

He ran his finger across the sheets, picking up the one that she had clearly sent the most time on. “This is the one,” he grinned back, holding the sheet up against the wall.

“So what’s the game plan?” she asked, planting her hands on her hips and surveying the room as Bellamy carefully put the sheet on the counter. Her cheeks burned with the satisfaction of him liking her logo, but she was trying not to show it.

“We gotta put painter’s tape on the baseboards and the edges of the cabinets,” he answered, throwing a roll of thin blue tape to her and gently plucking the paint roller from her hand.

“But that was so much more fun,” she sulked, looking longingly at the fluffy roller.

Bellamy shook his head at her and turned to start taping the wall behind the counter. Clarke sighed dramatically and changed the song before moving to tape the boards by the door.

They worked peacefully, oldies music floating through the diner as they chatted aimlessly, taping and sipping on room temperature beer. Clarke made it halfway through the front panel when she realized Bellamy had been oddly silent.

She pushed herself off the floor and moved behind the counter. Bellamy was kneeling on the floor and was staring at the gap between the side of the counter and the wall. She gently knelt beside him, trying to follow his gaze. There was a light scribble on the wall by the doorframe, it was faint and looked old. It was easy to see how it hadn’t been noticeable before.

“It’s an old order, in my mom’s handwriting…she must’ve done this years ago. She was always kind of scatterbrained in that way,” he laughed wetly, avoiding Clarke’s gaze.

“Bell,” she murmured gently, lightly pressing on his shoulder until he sat with his back against the counter.

“This is why I didn’t want to do this, it’s erasing her legacy. I haven’t changed a single thing since I took this place over,” he sighed, knocking his head back against the wood.

“I know it’s hard…we don’t have to change everything. We don’t even have to paint; we could always just use it to tar and feather Thelonious the next time he makes fun of me in a town hall meeting.”

Bellamy half smiled, running his thumb against the wall. His mom had been gone since he was eighteen, but it still stung like it was yesterday. He had grown up behind the counter of this place, learned to cook in the kitchen out back. When his mom had died, it had just made sense to stay and keep going. This place had been her legacy, Bellamy had taken it over straight out of high school. He had given up college and his baseball scholarship to stay here, it was his family and his responsibility.

It had been hard at first, giving up his dreams of studying history and becoming a professor but he had grown to love this job with time. Polis was his home and Murphy was a great business partner. It was nice to be able to work with his best friend and talk to his other best friend over a cup of coffee every day. Plus, being here everyday kept him connected to his mom and his family.

Clarke lifted herself off the floor and disappeared in front of the counter. Bellamy’s eyebrows shot up as he heard her ruffling through things on the tables, just as he was about to stand up and check on her, she returned.

She knelt next to him and carefully covered his mom’s writing with a small sheet of plastic, securing the edges with blue tape.

“There,” she said, leaning back to sit next to him, gently pressing their shoulders together.

“That…works, thank you,” he replied, surprised evident on his face from her gesture.

He turned to face her, propping his head against the counter. It was times like this that he wondered how he got lucky enough to be friends with someone like her. Against his better judgement, he reached out and tucked a curl behind her ear, his palm lingering near her cheek. That damn piece of hair never managed to stay in place and he had always longed to reach out to fix it. The air shifted and she turned her blue eyes to him, tilting her chin to nudge against his palm. It seemed like all the oxygen had been sucked out of the room.

Her chest felt tight as she held his gaze, part of her ached to move closer, to touch him. But the more logical part of her brain knew she should pull away. It felt like they were frozen in time, both too scared to move first.

Bellamy opened his mouth as if to say something but before he had the chance to speak, the bell above the door chimed. They jerked apart as if they had been burned, sharing a wide eyed, confused look.

“BELL!! Is anyone home?” A high pitched female voice called. 

Clarke’s forehead wrinkled with confusion and exasperation filled Bellamy’s face. Shooting Clarke an apologetic nod, he pushed off the floor to address the woman.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading and giving feedback! Each and every one of you is so appreciated. I haven't outlined this story as specifically so if you have scenes from the show you want me to include let me know and I will try my best! 
> 
> Also, if anyone is willing to edit! I would love some help :) 
> 
> SO MUCH LOVE FOR Y'ALL


	4. Jason Mamoa

“Hello?!” the voice called again, right as Bellamy popped up over the counter.

Clarke’s cheeks burned, her and Bellamy had their moments…but never anything quite like that. That had been electric. Part of her wondered whether he might have kissed her if the door hadn’t opened. The door. She wondered who the woman was. Must be someone important. Maybe an ex-girlfriend? She had never seen Bellamy date, but this woman could’ve been from before her time, could be an ex from high school or from his early 20s.

Her neck heated with embarrassment; she was stupid to think he would’ve kissed her earlier. They were just friends. It was better this way.

Eventually, curiosity got the best of her and she rose to peek over the edge of the counter. The mystery woman was possibly the most beautiful human she had ever seen. She was tall and thin, with long black hair that hung to her waist. Her face was angular, wide eyes and striking cheekbones. There was something familiar about her, but Clarke couldn’t quite place where she’d seen her.

The girl’s eyes flitted from Bellamy toward Clarke, tracing the movement. If Clarke’s cheeks weren’t red before, they were now. Her gaze shifted from Clarke to Bellamy as a wide grin spread across her face.

“Bell! Hiding a girl behind the counter?! Where was this side of you when we were kids? I’m shocked!” the girl cackled, shoving Bellamy’s arm. “Don’t hide on my account! Unless you’re naked…then you should probably stay back there for both of our sakes,” she continued, turning toward Clarke.

Bellamy’s cheeks flushed a bright red and he buried his face in his hand as Clarke rose from behind the counter. Her brow was still furrowed in confusion. Who was this woman? She wasn’t acting like an ex-girlfriend but maybe they had just had a weird relationship.

“Don’t worry, buttoned up from my neck to my knees, no nudity in the diner. Or cell phones. I’m not sure which rule is more inconvenient,” Clarke joked, giving the woman an unsure smile.

“Octavia, this is my **friend** Clarke. Clarke, this is my kid sister Octavia,” Bellamy said, rolling his eyes and gesturing between the two women. A light blush was still visible through his freckles.

“OH!” Clarke answered, rounding the counter to stand beside the Blake siblings. It suddenly made sense, that was why the woman had looked so familiar, she looked like Bellamy. Clarke wondered why she had never seen her before though, Octavia had obviously grown up in Polis too.

Octavia and Clarke shook hands as Bellamy stood awkwardly off to the side. His body language was stiff and unreadable.

“I…um, should probably go. You two probably have some catching up to do,” Clarke suggested, shooting them both a half smile.

“Seriously, don’t leave on my account,” Octavia smiled at her warmly. “You two seemed like you were in the middle of something.”

At this, Bellamy and Clarke both glanced down at the floor.

“It’s okay we haven’t done much yet, I’ll pack up and we can do it another night,” Bellamy assured.

Clarke nodded and grabbed the mini speaker before saying her goodbyes and slipping out of the door.

Bellamy watched her retreating form and sighed, tonight had been weird all around. Not necessarily a bad weird. It was probably the most fun he had had in months. Clarke was exceptionally easy to be around and she just kind of took him where he was. There weren’t many people like that…especially for him. He couldn’t unleash his sister on her yet, not until he figured out what had just happened between them.

“So just friends huh?” Octavia smirked, shaking Bellamy out of his thoughts.

“Yeah dummy, just friends,” he deflected, turning to retrieve two more beers from the back fridge. Knowing Octavia, he was going to need it.

Octavia took a seat at the corner table, propping her legs up against it. The diner hadn’t changed one bit since they were kids, she hadn’t really expected it to…Bellamy wasn’t really one for leaving his comfort zone.

“She’s cute,” she continued, taking the beer from Bellamy’s hand. “She must be special if she convinced you to paint in here. It’s practically an homage to the 80s.”

“Octavia…” he said warningly.

“I’m just saying, you don’t have to be a monk. It’s been a while since Gina.”

“You know, it would be pretty easy for me to go upstairs and lock you down here…”

“Hilarious.”

“You’re using my non-relationship with Clarke to deflect,” Bellamy said bluntly, examining Octavia over the lip of his bottle. “I thought you were, and I quote, ‘never stepping foot in this festering shithole ever again’?” Bellamy teased, taking a long sip from his bottle.

“Things change Bell, times change,” Octavia answered, giving him a broad smile.

Bellamy softened, bad timing aside, he had missed his little sister. It had been almost a year since he had seen her and over ten years since she had been back in Polis. Honestly, it hadn’t even occurred to him that Clarke and Octavia had never met but now that he knew, it made him uneasy. It felt like a separation of his two worlds. Octavia had never quite fit in here, unlike Bellamy she didn’t like the stable, safe regularity of the sleepy town. The second she turned eighteen, she fled, moved to the big city. It suited her better, every time Bellamy visited her, she had seemed happy and in her element. He was happy for her, but it was hard. Octavia had been his shadow when they were kids, when she had left, it felt like losing a limb.

“Do things ever really change?” he asked, looking past her, through the window where the hockey team was running past to TP the school. A tradition as old as the school itself.

“Yeah Bell, they do,” Octavia gave him a long look, facing breaking into a smile so big it made her eyes squint. Finally, she flung her hand in front of him and wiggled her ring finger in his face. On it was an ornate ring, a princess cut diamond with engraved roses along the band.

Bellamy froze, staring at the ring. That was an engagement ring, his sister was getting married.

“Oh my god!” he yelled, lunging forward to wrap his arms around his sister. Tears sprung into his eyes, he couldn’t believe it. “How did this happen? When did this happen?! I didn’t even know you were seeing anyone.”

“It’s been a whirlwind, we’ve only been together for 4 months. But this is it Bell. I have no doubts, Lincoln is my soulmate,” Octavia swooned, looking down at her ring lovingly.

“4 months O?” Bellamy asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow. The thrill of what she had said was wearing off and his older brother antenna was going off. Leave it to Octavia to get engaged in the least responsible way possible. He loved his sister more than anything, but she wasn’t exactly pragmatic or rational. In fact, spontaneous might as well be her middle name.

“I know it sounds crazy and I know you’re mad I didn’t tell you but just give me a chance okay? I’ve changed, I’ve got my act together! Lincoln is amazing, please just meet him before you go into crazy older brother mode.”

“It’s just that you’ve got a way of doing this O, you romanticize shit and then you end up getting hurt. You know I’ll always pick up the pieces, but I hate to see you do this again.”

“This is different! Actually! I’ve been making jewelry and selling it at a renaissance faire, that’s how I met Lincoln! He’s an iron welder, he makes these beautiful swords. Just give him a chance Bell, he’s a little older and kind of rough around the edges but he loves me.”

“How much older?” Bellamy asked, rubbing his temple with his thumb. His sister had a knack for this. She would pick a ridiculous job and find some terrible mooch of a guy. Inevitably, the guy would steal something from her and then the whole thing would go to shit. It was how he ended up in TonDC once a year with a casserole dish of macaroni and cheese to pick up the pieces. There was something different about her, but he had to be careful, they had been down this road before.

“He’s…well…he’s a few years older than you,” Octavia ground out.

“OCTAVIA! HE’S IN HIS FORTIES?!” Bellamy exclaimed.

“Look, Bellamy, I didn’t come here to fight with you. The faire is coming to Polis and I wanted you to be able to share it with me. We can make this a happy event and celebrate my engagement, or you can spend the next two weeks being mad at me. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, but I’ve put you through the ringer and I wanted to make sure this was the real deal,” Octavia said, reaching out to grasp his hand.

Bellamy stared at his sister, glancing down to the ring on her finger. He wanted to believe her, but every past experience was warning him not to.

“You don’t have to say anything. The whole troupe is staying at the inn right now, I’d love to bring Lincoln here for breakfast tomorrow. Show him a piece of the family history and introduce him to my favorite person. Would that be okay?”

The hope in Octavia’s eyes pushed him over the edge and he nodded, “That sounds great, I’ll keep a stack of lemon blueberry pancakes aside for you,” he smiled, squeezing his sister’s hand.

Octavia lunged forward, hugging him so tightly that it felt like his eyes might pop out of his head. “I love you, thank you.”

Bellamy nodded and finished the rest of his beer, giving his sister one last squeeze before standing to get another. “So tell me about this renaissance faire,” he called over his shoulder.

“It’s the real deal Bell, totally accurate. We talk in period language and I wear this big floofy dress. My jewelry has been doing so well, I’m actually making good money. Polis is like the perfect town for it, cute and quaint. The only problem is that Jaha is being annoying as usual, he wants us to come to a town meeting and make a case so everyone can vote on it. Typical bullshit, some things never change.”

Their conversation continued without incident, but Bellamy couldn’t shake the weight of Octavia’s engagement. She had brought home a lot of losers over the years, but she had never been engaged. He hoped the guy was as great as she was making him seem. And if he wasn’t…Bellamy hoped that his ass was shrimpy enough to beat. He hugged his sister goodbye and locked the diner door, leaning against it.

His mind flashed back to Clarke and how he had basically shoved her out of the diner earlier. Without really thinking, he pulled out his old flip phone and called her.

She answered on the first ring and he smiled at the sound of her voice.

“Sorry our painting got interrupted,” he began, turning off the lights in the dining room and heading upstairs to his attached apartment.

“Don’t worry about it,” she assured, the TV chattering in the background, “How’s your sister? She’s nice, very cheerful. Honestly hard to believe you’re related.”

“She engaged,” he sighed, shedding his flannel and sinking down onto his couch. Clarke gasped as he relayed their conversation to her and filled in small parts of the extensive backstory.

“You’re a good brother,” she said, after he had trailed off. “I come from a family where everyone explodes over every, single thing and nobody believes in second chances. The fact that you held your tongue and you’re meeting him tomorrow, says a lot about how much you love your sister.”

“I really needed to hear that, thank you,” he answered, leaning back against the armrest with the phone nestled between his ear and shoulder.

“What time are they coming over?”

“Around 9:30, I’m not sure if it’s just her and Lincoln or the entire renaissance faire,”

“I think having a renaissance faire here is kind of fun. Really adds to the small town charm. Maybe she can bring you some pantaloons!”

“Just when we thought this town couldn’t get more ridiculous, they bring in jousting and giant turkey legs.”

“Hey, don’t knock the turkey legs!” Clarke huffed.

“I wouldn’t dare!” he gasped. “Believe it or not, I have to go to a stupid town meeting to vote on the faire. Apparently, Thelonious is power tripping over it as usual,”

“I _love _town hall meetings! You can sit with me and Madi, it’s very fun. We bring snacks,” Clarke laughed.

“I’ll come but I won’t be happy about it.”

“You’re never happy about anything,” she teased.

Bellamy laughed and a long pause followed, punctuated by Clarke’s yawn.

“I’m falling asleep on my couch, but I’ll stop by tomorrow around 11, I want to hear all about this meeting.”

“If William Shakespeare and the knights of the roundtable are still there, don’t say I didn’t warn you,”

“I’ll consider myself warned,” Clarke giggled softly, padding up the stairs to go to bed. As tired as she was, she didn’t want the call to end.

XXX

Clarke stepped through the branches blocking the pathway toward the house, balancing a tray off coffee in one hand and a giant sketchpad in the other.

“Sorry, sorry, the line at Blake’s was a mile long so I had to go to The Oldie Goldie Bakery,” Clarke called through the entrance of the house.

“So, you had to puke from the cuteness of the place before you could continue on with your day,” Raven supplied, appearing from the storage room.

“It’s gotten worse in there, they served me a doughnut wrapped in a doily,” Clarke grimaced, wrinkling her nose.

Raven laughed, taking the coffee from the holder and hopping up to sit on the checkout counter.

“So, why’s Blake’s so crowded? There’s like eleven people in this town.”

“That actually is a great segue,” Clarke began, leaning next to Raven and sipping on her own drink.

“Do tell,” Raven wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, earning a light shove from Clarke.

“What do you know about Bellamy’s sister?” Clarke asked tentatively, avoiding Raven’s gaze.

“Octavia? Why?” Raven asked, forehead wrinkling in confusion. “Ohhh, researching your future sister in-law,” she added slyly, throwing Clarke an overexaggerated wink.

“Shut up, no. She’s back in town for some kind of Renaissance faire, I met her last night. They’re all in the diner right now, it’s why it’s so crowded,”

“Octavia is a Polis legend in her own right,” Raven supplied, turning to face Clarke, “She’s one year younger than me, so a year older than you. Back when we were in school, she was kind of person everyone wanted to be friends with, but nobody actually knew. Her and Bellamy were both just these like mysterious, beautiful people. Nobody really knew either of them but where Bellamy was gruff and kind of mean, Octavia was nice and friendly.”

“What happened, where did she go? How is it possible that I’ve never seen her?”

“When their mom died, Bellamy became the grumpy old man that you see today and took over everything but Octavia just kind of shut down. She was pretty young, probably fourteen? The light in her just went away and never came back. She would really only talk to Bellamy, skipped a lot of school and then vanished right before graduation. It was the great mystery of Polis, where in the world is Octavia Blake? She never came back to town. Occasionally, there were whispers of Bellamy going to TonDC to visit her but that was it,” Raven finished, chugging the last of her coffee.

“Well that’s tragic…” Clarke mused, furrowing her brow. She was glad to have some context to the whole thing but it felt like she was prying into Bellamy’s life. He didn’t talk about his family history much, but the story contextualized the whole writing on the wall incident too.

“I didn’t really consider that you two have never met. You probably missed each other by a few months at most. She left right as you came in. You’re like two different eras of Polis history, it’s kind of weird. Bellamy was kind of a ghost for a while there without his mom and sister. You and Madi brought him back.”

“She’s nice and insanely gorgeous, I liked her for the brief period of time I spoke to her.”

“So you just happened to be hanging out in the diner at night?” Raven asked, pushing off the counter and throwing a suspicious look over her shoulder as she walked further into the house.

Clarke followed, dodging holes in the floor as they moved up the narrow staircase and into the upstairs area. “Shut up, I was helping him repaint the walls!”

“Mmhmm,” Raven hummed, turning to hammer a loose nail on the door hinge.

“What’s with everyone?! Bellamy and I are just friends! Madi’s been on this lately too…”

“Clarke…Bellamy doesn’t like anyone. He is literally the grumpiest person in the entire town. If literally anyone else tried to go behind that counter, he would actually murder them, and I don’t mean that weird fake flirty murder threat you two do. I mean actual death. For God’s sake…he **smiles** at you.”

Clarke shrugged, blushing and leaving the room to sketch the layout for the upstairs classrooms. Her thoughts lingering on what Raven had said. She did like when Bellamy smiled at her, it felt like a special gift, he didn’t give them out often.

XXX

Bellamy wiped a red, checkered rag against the counter, sagging with relief that the breakfast rush was over. He wasn’t used to crowds like this and he was honestly exhausted.

He was aimlessly wiping coffee pots when the bell over the door rang and Clarke came whirling in. Her blonde hair was a flurry around her head and her bright red sweater highlighted the flush of her cheeks. She was a sight for sore eyes and Bellamy poured her a cup of coffee before she even had a chance to ask. He would never admit it, but he had been waiting for her to come in since they crowd had died down earlier.

“What a day!” she sighed, taking her usual seat at the counter.

“Is this your first cup?” Bellamy asked, surprise etched on his face as he watched her drink from the chipped mug. 

“Of course not! But you were hosting the Macy’s day parade in here, so I had to go to The Oldie Goldie Bakery,” Clarke laughed, gratefully taking the cup from Bellamy.

“Did you try the new pumpkin spice monstrosity?”

“Yes, it came with a collectable coffee cup cozy!” Clarke replied, fishing the orange knitted, pumpkin faced sleeve out of her purse. “I have to go three more times because they’re a collectable set and I can’t miss out on the ghostie! You should start doing collectable sets, it’s much more interactive.”

Bellamy rolled his eyes and dipped into the back to retrieve the pancakes he had put aside for Clarke earlier.

“Saved these for you, they’re lemon blueberry. Not on the menu but they’re Octavia’s favorite,” he said, sliding the plate toward her.

Clarke cut herself a large bite and chewed thoughtfully, the pancakes were objectively amazing, but Bellamy seemed muted. He was smiling but there was definitely something off.

“So how was the future brother in-law?” Clarke asked carefully, studying Bellamy over her stack of pancakes.

Bellamy scrubbed a hand over his face and leaned his elbows against the counter.

“He’s easily almost seven feet tall, has a full sleeve of tattoos and an eyebrow ring. Basically he looks like the kind of guy who plays a blacksmith at a renaissance faire,” he began, the distaste evident in his expression. “But he treats my sister really well. He actually doesn’t seem like a piece of shit, so I have to at least give him a shot,” he finished, flashing her a closed mouth smile.

“If the only bad things you have to say are things about the way he looks, then I think you can consider that a win,” she reassured, reaching out to pat his shoulder. “Plus he kind of sounds like Jason Mamoa and that seems like a win for your sister.”

“He offered to make me a sword,” Bellamy deadpanned, giving Clarke a pained expression. 

“Oh dirty!” Clarke laughed, almost choking on a piece of pancake.

Bellamy rolled his eyes and went back to counting receipts at the cash register. Clarke watched him out of the corner of her eye and popped a blueberry in her mouth. She mulled over what Raven had told her earlier, Bellamy had already been running the diner for a few years by the time she came to town. He must have pretty much raised Octavia. Clarke’s heart broke for him, it suddenly made sense why he had always been so good with Madi and why he was so torn up about his sister getting married.

She didn’t really know Octavia but she hoped that her engagement would work out, for the sake of both of the Blakes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay...this story hasn't been coming to me as easily so it's been rough getting it started. Hopefully it goes better from here. 
> 
> If anyone would want to help edit or just help me spitball ideas, lmk I would love love love to have someone else with me on this! 
> 
> (In that vein, I'm toying with the idea of going back and changing the premise so that Jake used to live in Polis before he died and eliminating the Greta character entirely. I'd love to hear what some of you think! ALSO let me know what you think of this characterization of Clarke, I like writing her a little goofy but I'm concerned it's coming off as out of character!) 
> 
> Thanks for reading! And for any potential feedback (good or bad)! Love y'all.


	5. Abby in Wonderland

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the confusion, this story has been edited and reworked. I just wasn't happy with my writing from before and did a significant overhaul to clean up plot holes and solidify the storyline.

“Shoot, shoot, shoot,”

Clarke banged her palms against the steering wheel. The front of her car began to emit a large cloud of smoke as the engine grinded to a halt.

Beside her Madi blanched, stress palpable from across the car.

“Oh my God, I’m going to miss my test…Oh my God, I can’t fail. I’m already doing so bad in this class, they’re going to kick me out!” Madi squealed, jumping out of the passenger side of the car.

“Mads…we’re an hour early, breathe,” Clarke assured, rounding the car to rub her daughter’s back.

“Yeah but we don’t know anything about cars, this could take all day and Hillside doesn’t do make up exams.”

“They would understand if the car is broken down!”

“LOUIE BERGMAN TOOK AN EXAM WITH APPENDICITIS LAST MONTH!”

Madi was panicking, flipping nervously through notes and running her hands through her hair. Clarke tipped her head back and sighed, the car was beyond help. It was as old as Madi and would likely need extensive repairs.

Hillside generally seemed like it was suiting Madi, but this reaction was kind of concerning. Madi was coming unhinged. Clarke knew that Hillside was a lot more rigorous than Polis, but she hadn’t realized they were putting this much stress on her daughter.

Clarke pulled out her phone and sighed deeply as she flipped through her contacts.

“Clarke! Why are you calling at this hour?! Is everyone alright? Are you hurt?” Abby exclaimed, answering the phone on the first ring.

“Are you busy right now?” Clarke asked directly, she didn’t have patience left to argue with her mother right now.

“I have to prep for my board meeting but I’m not specifically busy. What is going on?”

“My car broke down and Madi has a test in forty five minutes, is there anyway you can pick her up from here? We’re stranded on the side of the road and she’s freaking out. I know you have your meeting but-“

Abby interrupted, “I can come get her, send me your location.”

Clarke sagged with relief, dropping her location to her mother but assuring it would only be for the next hour.

Hanging up her phone she turned back to Madi who had flopped down on the ground and was still wildly turning through her notebook. There was a small stack of notecards in her lap and she was alternating between her notebook and the cards.

“Hey kid,” Clarke began kneeling next to Madi and gently extracting the notecards from her grip. “Is everything okay? I’m worried about you.”

“I’m fine, it’s just that I’m really behind everyone else so I have to do a lot of catching up. It’s just a lot…” Madi half sobbed, eyes still glued to her notes.

Clarke reached out and wrapped Madi in a tight hug, crushing the notebook between them. She squeezed her and tried to extract all the stress from her small body.

“You are so smart, these tests don’t define you. No matter what happens I’ve got your back, even if I have to fight that stupid Headmaster.”

Madi buried her head in Clarke’s neck and took a deep breath. As they sat there on the ground, a sleek black Bentley pulled up on the dirt road. It seemed highly out of place on the dusty corner and Clarke couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled in her chest.

Abby stepped out of the car, pointed heels pulling up dirt as she strode toward them. At the sight, of her mother in her peach Chanel skirt set, Clarke laughed harder.

“What on earth is so funny?” Abby asked, brows furrowing as she threw a disapproving glance toward Clarke’s smoking car.

Clarke let out the last few laughs before sobering and pushing off the ground to stand beside her mother.

“Nothing,” she assured, wiping her eyes.

A small smirk played on Madi’s lips as she collected her things and said goodbye to Clarke, slipping into the plush interior of the car.

Xxx

“What is your exam on?” Abby asked casually, glancing at Madi across the car.

“Biology,” Madi replied, eyes focused on her paper.

“That was my favorite subject when I was in school,” Abby sighed fondly.

“I’m not very good at it…”

“Nonsense, you just need a good teacher. God knows that Ted Christensen is a simpleton. I went to school with him back in the day, the fact that they allow him to teach is a travesty.”

Madi giggled, eyebrows shooting up at her grandma’s criticism of her teacher.

“I can help you if you’d like? Just sometimes after school,” Abby mentioned, trying to keep her tone casual but there was a hint of hope laced in her voice.

“I would like that,” Madi answered shyly, giving her grandma a small smile.

“Excellent!” Abby grinned, “Now what are those notecards on?”

“Functions of organelles and transport mechanisms,” Madi sighed.

“Alright then, so if I have a cell in solution that has a higher sodium concentration than the cell, what kind of solution is this and what will happen to the cell?” Abby asked, smile etched on her face.

They continued the car ride with Abby asking questions and Madi answering, by the time they reached the school, Madi felt much more assured that she was knowledgeable enough for her exam.

“I’ll pick you up as well, by the looks of it your mother’s car will not be working anytime soon.”

Madi gave her grandma a tight hug and jumped out of the car, running toward the school. She only had a few minutes before her test.

She took her seat in the front of the classroom just as the teacher closed the door. Madi ran the mnemonics her grandmother had helped her with while the exam was being passed out. Ginger was glaring at her from the other side of the room but Madi strictly ignored her, keeping her eyes trained down on the paper. She had learned that ignorance was the best policy with Ginger.

The exam was hard, but she finished before the end of class, taking the extra time to re-read the article for the next period. As the bell rang, she sprang out of the room and pointedly ignored Ginger’s attempt to talk her.

She had stupidly thought that Ginger could have been a potential friend but as the school year progressed, it became clear that Ginger was not a fan of competition. She had made it her life’s mission to make Madi’s life miserable and so far, she was succeeding. She liked to play mind games with Madi any chance she got but honestly it was kind of a compliment, it was clear she saw her as a threat.

Her little posse largely left Madi alone, but they never really stepped in to stop the antagonizing either. Sometimes Madi wondered what Ginger’s problem was but she hoped that her attempts to ignore her would work.

Madi took her seat at her next class, internally groaning as Ginger, Genevie and Cassidy took their seats around her. The spots were assigned and unfortunately, she had been placed with them.

“I hope everyone did the reading for today’s class; we’re having a debate over them on Monday. Your groups are as follows,” the teacher said, pointing to each student and placing them in a group. Of course, she put Madi, Ginger, Genevie and Cassidy all together. “You will need to prepare outside of class for this. Please take this assignment seriously, it is 30% of your grade,” she continued, handing out sheets describing the assignment. Madi’s stomach dropped, she had to spend time with these girls outside of the walls of the school. They would probably stab her.

She turned wearily to Ginger as the teacher finished talking, looking at her expectantly.

“My father cheated again, and my mother kicked him out, again. She’s shacked up with her accountant and drinking Chardonnay out of the bottle. My house is not habitable at the moment,” Ginger said simply, avoiding Madi’s gaze.

“Well you guys know about the fraud accusations, my father is bunkered in the house because he’s convinced the feds are spying on us,” Genevie added.

“I’m not allowed to have people over after the party incident last year,” Cassidy laughed, turning to Madi, “Genevie puked in our pool and we had to have the entire filter changed. It cost a fortune, my dad literally shit a chicken.”

Genevie hit Cassidy lightly on the arm and Madi shot them both a half smile. They were trying at least, Ginger was just avoiding her completely.

“Well what about you? Don’t you live in Riverdale minus the murder?” Ginger asked, smile creeping up on her face.

Madi choked down the embarrassment that niggled at the back of her neck, she wasn’t ashamed of her house or her town, regardless of what Ginger wanted her to feel.

“Yeah, there’s nothing crazy going on at my house, my mom wouldn’t mind. It’s kind of far though, about twenty five minutes. We could always try to go to a Starbucks or something?” Madi suggested.

“Good luck holding a table for more than fifteen minutes at any Starbucks around here,” Ginger rolled her eyes.

“What she means is, the drive is fine. We can meet at your house on Friday,” Cassidy smiled, writing her phone number on a piece of paper and handing it to Madi. “Text me your address.”

XXX

Clarke jumped out of the side of the Triple A car, banging on the door of Wick’s garage.

“Hey hey, you’re going to dent the door. I’m not made of money,” Wick cried, emerging from the side door with a greasy towel draped over his shoulder.

“Sorry! But my second child is wounded and I’m very torn up about it,” Clarke said dramatically, gesturing to her Jeep.

She explained the smoking engine and her terrible morning to Wick who gave her a sympathetic smile and began chatting with the Triple A guy about moving the car into the garage. Clarke gave them a glance over her shoulder and dipped into the attached office, they would be fine without her.

Raven was sitting at the desk, paper strewn around her and grease smeared across her cheeks.

“A woman in her element,” Clarke smiled, taking a seat across from her.

“More like, a woman paying bills and crying about the new Timberlands she won’t be able to buy this month,” Raven laughed.

“It’s a sad world we live in.”

“I saw that Jeep through the window, poor baby.”

“I know, I feel terrible. Madi had a test and I almost made her late. And then I subjected her to a car ride alone with my mother.”

“Yikes,” Raven winced, before turning to dig through a desk drawer. “Nothing like a fresh dose of Dr. Abby Griffin in the morning.”

“How was your day?”

“Well I got in a huge fight with Wells about the autoshop and woodshop cuts.”

“And…?”

“He basically told me to fuck off in a professional way, the football team brings in the most money so that’s where the budget goes,” Raven sighed, shooting Clarke a sad look.

“Ugh I’m sorry. If it makes you feel better he basically told me the same thing last week.”

They shared a long look before Raven turned back to the desk drawer, emerging with an envelope.

“I was going to save this until later but considering the days that we’ve both had, I think we deserve it.”

“You’re making me nervous,” Clarke said carefully, furrowing her brows.

“You know how Wick likes to detail vintage cars in his free time right? Well he did a car for this guy. He’s some kind of bigshot at TicketMaster…so he offered Wick box seats to the Brittany Spears concert this weekend as a thank you.” Raven squealed, waving the tickets in the air. “AND since my husband has no interest in going to the concert, I thought we could go! Madi too, she could probably bring a few friends!”

Clarke screamed, jumping up and rounding the table to envelop Raven in a hug so tight that she lifted her off the floor. Both women squealed and jumped up and down.

“Do you think I could pull off low rise jeans still?!” Clarke joked, pulling away to analyze the tickets.

“Why would you subject yourself to that?” Raven laughed, grinning so wide it made her eyes squint.

Both girls collapsed into giggles and jumped up and down over the tickets.

XXX

Abby pulled into Clarke’s long driveway. The Bentley looked even more out of place on the gravel drive in front of the old, yellow colonial with chipped paint than it had on the dusty curb.

“This is our humble abode,” Madi grinned, gesturing grandly to the house. In the span of a day, she already felt closer to her grandma and was excited to show her where they lived. “Would you like to come inside? I could show you around,”

Abby looked at Madi nervously and then back toward the house, she didn’t want to intrude on Clarke’s life here, but she couldn’t say no to those hopeful eyes.

Madi bounced as she left the car and Abby followed her up the stairs. The house was old but charming and well maintained, it seemed exactly like the kind of house Clarke would have wanted as a child. In fact, it lightly resembled a small dollhouse she used to play with.

The furniture was mismatched and looked like it was largely composed of hand me downs. All of the shelves were lined with antiques and photos. Abby stepped forward to examine a picture of a beautiful older woman with a wide smile and curly black hair. She had an arm wrapped around Clarke and Madi, their faces all pressed together tightly. It was an old photograph, Clarke’s cheeks were still round and Madi was missing her front tooth but it was clear that the three were very close with one another. She wondered absently who that woman was and felt a small pang of jealously and guilt at the picture of the life should could have had with her daughter and granddaughter. Spending time with Madi really highlighted where she had gone wrong with the way she had raised Clarke. Madi was so open and bright, just like Clarke had been. But where Clarke had been sullen and angry, Madi was loving and kind. It was evident that Clarke was a good parent, despite their long wrought relationship. 

“I don’t think my mom is home but she’s probably at Blake’s if you want to get a cup of coffee together after I show you around town?” Madi interrupted Abby’s thoughts, popping her head out from the kitchen.

“I’m not sure if that’s the best-“ Abby began, she knew that her daughter wouldn’t take kindly to her encroaching on the town.

“It’s the best coffee in the world, you can’t come here and miss it,” Madi said, twinkle of hope still in her eyes. 

Abby let out a deep sigh and gave her granddaughter a careful smile, “Well if you insist.”

Madi rounded out the tour with her room and gave Abby a full tour of her books.

“I think I want to be a lawyer one day, civil rights…like Amal Clooney,” Madi said earnestly, clutching a book to her chest.

“That’s a very noble pursuit,” Abby replied, tucking Madi underneath her arm.

Madi flashed her a broad smile, “So that cup of coffee?”

They left the house, strolling through the town on the way to Blake’s. Madi stopped every once in while to show Abby all the local landmarks. They paused in the gazebo and Abby looked around, the town really was beautiful. She could see why it appealed to Clarke, Polis didn’t have any pretenses it was cozy and welcoming. The shops were all local and small.

It was all very working class but Clarke had always been drawn to that. Even as a child, Abby had always found her chatting with the maids or hanging out with the gardener. She knew it was a habit she had picked up from Jake, who had always loved to learn about people’s backstories.

To be honest, Jake would have loved this town too. It was exactly the kind of place he had always been trying to convince Abby to move to. A lump formed in her throat at the thought of her late husband but she shook it off quickly, she couldn’t act this way in front of her granddaughter. 

XXX

“One of these days you’re going to give yourself heart palpitations,” Bellamy warned, wearily pouring Clarke another cup of coffee.

“Do you have the paddles ready?”

“Murphy is preparing the jaws of life as we speak.”

As Clarke was about to respond when she froze, reaching out to grab Bellamy’s forearm. Her eyes were wide as she looked out the window, “My mother is here. My mother is in Polis. My mother is in Polis and walking toward the diner,” Clarke ground out, shooting him a panicked look, fingers digging into his arm.

Bellamy placed his hand over hers on his arm, ignoring the way his pulse upticked at her grip.

“The woman in the Chanel skirt set? Should I lay out a white tablecloth for her? I might have some wine in the back, granted, its in a box but the sentiment stands,” Bellamy grinned, rubbing his thumb against her knuckles soothingly.

“This is my town…these are two things that shouldn’t mix like oil and water or cellulite and white jeans.”

“Well unless you plan on slide tackling her, she seems intent on coming in here…” Bellamy said gently, squeezing her hand and pulling away.

“What if we just turned off all the lights and pretended like it was closed?” Clarke tried halfheartedly, sighing as Bellamy gave her a sympathetic smile.

The door chimed and Madi bounced in excitedly, dragging Abby behind her.

“Mom! I was just showing grandma around town and I told her that she couldn’t leave Polis without a cup of Bellamy’s coffee!” Madi rambled, pressing a kiss against Clarke’s cheek.

“Two coffees on me,” Bellamy grinned, patting Madi’s shoulder.

“How are you liking Polis mom?” Clarke asked, taking a long sip from her coffee cup.

“It’s very quaint,” Abby said simply, nodding her head in thanks as Bellamy set a mug in front of her. “I take it you’re the famous Bellamy?” Abby asked, tilting her head toward him.

Bellamy shifted under her gaze, pulling at the collar of his flannel. “That’s me, the man with the coffee,” he answered, flashing her a nervous smile.

“Well not just the man with the coffee…it seems like you’re the center of half the stories I hear about this town. It’s always Bellamy this and Bellamy that. It’s nice to finally meet you in person.”

Clarke’s cheeks burned, she wanted to bury herself into the ground and die. Her eyes bore into the table, she couldn’t look up at Bellamy right now. She wasn’t sure if her mom was being deliberately obtuse or if she was genuinely that clueless. Did she really talk about Bellamy that much?

Bellamy laughed at Abby’s comments and deflected, “Do you guys want pie?”

“Pie sounds amazing! Cherry?” Clarke asked, tearing her eyes away from the table and looking up at Bellamy whose features were etched with a faint smirk.

Bellamy nodded and quickly dipped back into the kitchen, leaving the three Griffin women alone together.

“He’s very handsome,” Abby said casually, glancing toward the kitchen, “tall too.”

“Give up grandma, I’ve been trying to convince her to go for it for years. She never does,” Madi sighed, stirring sugar into her coffee mug.

“We’re just friends,” Clarke insisted, tucking a stray curl behind her ear and willing the blush down.

Abby gave Clarke a long look but dropped the subject. 

“The car’s going to be a long haul,” Clarke sighed.

“There’s a bus I can take?” Madi offered, pulling up the schedule on her phone.

“Nonsense! We’ll get you a car,” Abby offered, face contorting with horror at the idea of a bus.

“Mom she’s fifteen, she doesn’t drive.”

“But a bus?!”

“It’s not bad grandma, it only takes two stops between here and Arkadia. Plus, it gives me more flexibility to come over to your house after school sometimes,”

Abby subdued but the wrinkle between her eyebrows remained as she listened to Madi detail the bus route to them. Clarke eyed her mother wearily, she was being relatively tame and it was deeply unsettling but she wasn’t going to fight it. Except for the awkward misstep with Bellamy, this was going a lot more smoothly than she expected. Plus, it was nice to see Madi so happy. She had missed out on having extended family her whole life and it was clear she was enjoying it now.

“I hope you don’t mind but I offered to help Madi out with her biology,” Abby said to Clarke, reaching out to take a nervous bite of pie.

Clarke’s stomach dropped as her memory flashed back to sitting at the dinner table with her mother drilling flashcards but she swallowed her pride and nodded, “I think that’ll be great for you guys.”

Madi smiled broadly and began telling Clarke about her biology test and the group project. The whole event was almost enjoyable and Clarke found herself actually enjoying her mother’s company, possibly for the first time in her life. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has hyped me up! I think this story is finally getting its groove as the plot comes together! 
> 
> Love y'all so much! Let me know if there was anything you liked, didn't like or any suggestions you have! I always like to hear what you're thinking!


	6. Brad, Chad and Brittany Spears

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Buckle in, it's a long one :)

Bellamy pushed open the heavy barn door, allowing cool fall air to rush into the humid space. There were rows of chairs lined down the length of both sides of the room and it was totally packed. Every head in the room turned to face him as he awkwardly weaved through the rows. Clarke gave him a large wave from where she was seated in the front row and he kept his head down, avoiding the stares as he moved to take the empty seat between her and Raven.

He hadn’t been to a town meeting since he was twelve and people had obviously taken notice.

“You’re causing quite the stir,” Wick leaned over his wife to whisper.

“I gathered that thanks,” he whispered back, flicking Wick’s shoulder.

Clarke placed a reassuring hand on his thigh and held an open bag of Twizzlers in his direction.

“That was a great little opener before the actual show,” she giggled, waving the bag at him.

Bellamy grudgingly reached out and grabbed a Twizzler from the bag, less because he wanted one and more to appease Clarke.

“Do you want a soda? It’s really fun if you bite off both ends of the Twizzler and use it as a straw!” Madi cheered, holding up her can of Sprite.

“The eating habits your mom has given you continue to get more and more concerning,” he shook his head, biting off the end of the candy.

“Suit yourself,” Madi shrugged, sipping through her candy straw.

Bellamy gave Clarke a side glance as she dug through her purse and pulled out a pack of beef jerky.

“I brought Bellamy friendly snacks, but I wanted to see you try and eat a Twizzler first,” she teased taking the sadly bitten candy from his hand and replacing it with the jerky.

Bellamy laughed, taking the packaging from her and smiling gratefully. He could feel Raven and Wick staring at them but he didn’t really care as he opened the package and made a big show out of taking a bite.

Clarke giggled with him and finished his candy, wrapping her arm around Madi.

“If you two are done, the meeting is about to start,” Madi whispered, giving Bellamy and Clarke an exasperated look.

Thelonious Jaha moved to stand behind the podium and cleared his throat, banging a small gavel against the wood. He had always been one for fanfare.

“Welcome to the town meeting! So good to see all of you again, it is so wonderful that we are able to meet all together as a town like this. I’m glad some people have taken this meeting as a opportunity to start participating in town events,” he began, ending his sentence with a pointed look at Bellamy who rolled his eyes in response. “Now to start, let’s give our Polis High hockey team a round of applause for their sectional conference win.”

The whole town clapped and the captain of the team stood up to give his thanks to the booster club. Madi rolled her eyes, glancing over at the tall boy who was clearly basking in the attention. She had gone to school with those kids for years and they probably wouldn’t recognize her if she walked by. Her eyebrows furrowed, when a thinner boy stood alongside the captain.

“This is Jordan Green, he’s our new goalie and he has been a huge asset to our team this year. Since he’s new to town, I think we should all give him an extra round of applause!”

Once again, the room burst into applause and the dark hair boy blushed, scanning the room before his eyes hit the floor sheepishly. He was new. Madi analyzed his face, messy hair and dark brown eyes. He was new **and** he was cute. He gave a small, polite, thank you before his gaze landed on Madi. He gave her a lingering look and a shy smile before sitting back down.

She felt her ears heating and stole a glance at her mom who was looking at her slyly. So, she wasn’t crazy…he had been looking at her. She risked another look at him and found him looking back. A deep blush spread from her cheeks to her ears and she quickly looked away, adjusting her hair and smoothing down her skirt. She suddenly wished that she had changed out of her school uniform before coming.

“Now on to official town business, the tomato crop has been effected by the cicada outbreak from this summer so unfortunately we will not have any tomatoes until we can get a shipment in from out of town. In the meantime, there will be a 2 for 1 sale on canned tomatoes.”

Thelonious droned on with mundane announcements, primarily regarding crosswalk allocations, the TP incident at the high school and the new cake flavor at The Oldie Goldie Bakery.

“That very cute boy is staring at you,” Clarke whispered to Madi, chewing on a handful of M&Ms.

“Shhh, no he’s not,” Madi blushed.

“He’s staring at you in your school uniform, he must really think you’re cute,” Clarke teased, tugging on Madi’s skirt.

“His hair does the swoopy swoop thing,” Madi replied, sneaking a glance over Bellamy’s shoulder.

Clarke smiled and squeezed Madi, her confidence had grown a lot in the past few months. She kind of hoped that she would try and talk to the boy. It would be good for her, as much as it pained Clarke that she was actually growing up.

Bellamy gave her a soft nudge as Jaha transitioned into his explanation of the faire. Clarke gave his wrist a reassuring squeeze as Octavia pushed open the door and strode through the center aisle toward the podium. She had on an elaborate puffy sleeved dress with a large flower crown braided into her hair. Hushed whispers filled the room as she smiled confidently and took her place behind the podium.

“I know it’s been a joke in this town for a long time to say, ‘where in the world is Octavia Blake?’ Well…I’m back. I know that I’ve been gone for a long time. A lot of that time has been spent finding myself and getting over the death of my mother. Those of you who knew her know that she was full of life and used to light up a room, after she died it felt like the light was missing from my life. But eventually I found my light again in the form of this renaissance faire. This community is so beautiful and reminds me so much of the close, quirky community of this town. We would like to share a performance with you tonight, just to give you an idea of what we do. I hope you all love it as much as I do and that you vote to allow us to hold a faire here for all of you. This faire would be exceptionally special for me because I am engaged to be married to a wonderful man and we would like to have our wedding held on the final day of the Polis Renaissance festival. I would love to have my wedding in the town that I grew up in and with all the people who I love most in the world,” Octavia said, pausing for the roar of applause that followed and the whistles from people in the crowd. “I love you all, thank you for welcoming me back home. I hope you enjoy this performance,” she smiled, as the lights dimmed and the barn door swung fully open.

A thin man in tights and an ornate vest came strolling through the room strumming a lyre. He thumbed a soft romantic tune, prancing to the beat of the music.

Clarke squeezed Bellamy’s hand, at some point during Octavia’s speech they had become linked and she ran her thumb against his pulse point.

“She spoke beautifully,” Madi whispered, leaning over Clarke to smile at Bellamy. Her eyes flicked down to Bellamy and Clarke’s joined hands but she didn’t say anything about it, instead turning her focus back onto the lyre player.

“She did,” Clarke agreed, she could see the glimmer of tears in Bellamy’s eyes and knew he was proud of how eloquent and confident Octavia had seemed.

Just as he was about to respond, a flurry of people burst into the room all singing a song about prancing in a meadow.

His words of pride caught in his throat as a laugh bubbled in his chest and he quickly unwrapped his hand from Clarke’s to bring a fist up to his mouth.

“I need you to tell me something right now that is so spectacularly unfunny that’ll it will make me not laugh,” he choked out. “If I start laughing, Octavia will kill me,”

“Ummm…the scene where bambi’s mom dies, the epilogue from Harry Potter, the one time that Wells Jaha thought it would be hilarious to do politically incorrect drag for Halloween…” Clarke rattled off, trying to suppress her own fit of laughter as two small men began doing a jig.

“It’s not working,” he snorted, shoulders shaking.

Clarke’s shoulders began shaking too and she lightly slapped Bellamy on the thigh.

“Falling down a well, the time I spilled my coffee and sat outside of the diner crying…” Clarke continued, voice going up an octave from the effort.

“Please be mature,” Raven whispered, choking on her own laugh just as Wick barked out a loud “HA”.

A stern looking girl with a crown braid glared at them and they all subdued, sitting quietly as the meadow song wrapped up.

Unlike their friend group, the rest of the town was enraptured by the performance and much to Bellamy’s relief the faire unanimously passed. Octavia raced up to him as soon as the vote passed, wrapping him in a tight hug. Regardless of the insanity of the faire, he was happy for his sister and grateful the town was welcoming her back with open arms.

After the excitement of the performance, the meeting had completely derailed and was finished in a matter of minutes.

“You picked a good one, these usually last for hours. This is the first town meeting in history where Jaha didn’t get into a huge fight with a soccer mom over the dangers of playground equipment,” Clarke explained as they walked out.

“What a loss,” Bellamy groaned, taking off his baseball cap to readjust his hair.

“Are we having coffee?” Raven chimed in, bumping her hip against Clarke’s.

“It wouldn’t be a town meeting without coffee and pie,” Bellamy agreed, turning back toward the diner.

Madi was still tucked under Clarke’s arm and she turned to look at the outline of Jordan Green as he walked down the steps of the town hall. He turned toward her and gave a small wave, followed by a hopeful smile. Her heart fluttered and she turned back to her mom.

“I’ll catch up with you guys,” she said, sliding out from Clarke’s grip.

Clarke gave her a knowing look and a quick kiss on the head, smiling as she watched her daughter nervously walk toward the new boy. He looked equally nervous with his hands stuffed into his oversized jacket. The thrill of young love, she smiled, watching the two nervously greet one another.

Throwing one last glance at her blushing daughter, Clarke slipped into the diner, taking a seat next to Raven as Wick and Bellamy stood at the counter chatting with Murphy.

“The level of old married couple that you and Bellamy have achieved is almost astounding. Which is saying something considering that I’m both old and married,” Raven teased, pushing a fresh mug of coffee toward Clarke.

“We’re just friends,” Clarke rolled her eyes.

“The beef jerky was a little much, even for you,” Raven laughed, looking toward the men standing at the counter.

“I was being considerate, you should try it sometime.”

“Excuse you, I’m very considerate. I got you a cup of coffee didn’t I?”

“How could I forget. I owe you my eternal gratitude.”

“Maybe not for the coffee, but definitely because we’re seeing Brittany Spears tomorrow.”

“Dude, I’m so excited. I found my old crimper, Madi and I have been listening to Hit Me Baby One More Time all week.”

“Am I too old for a crop top? I’ve been debating it all week,” Raven asked, leaning back in her seat to pinch at her stomach.

“You’re hot enough to wear one. Trust me, I got both ways,” Clarke shrugged and Raven laughed, swatting her arm.

XXX

Madi stared at her phone, the little ‘delivered’ sitting underneath her text. It had been an hour and he hadn’t answered yet. They had been having a great conversation and suddenly it stopped. She read and re-read her last text, wondering what brought on the lack of response but before she could really dissect it, the doorbell rang.

She sprung up to answer it. As if Jordan Green wasn’t stressing her out enough, she also had to worry about entertaining the tres amigas for the next two hours while they prepared for the stupid debate.

The door swung open to reveal Genevieve, Cassidy and Ginger who all looked ridiculously out of place on her worn porch.

“I like this town, it’s like a playset,” Cassidy said, smiling widely at Clarke.

“Very Norman Rockwell,” Genevie agreed, stepping into the house behind Cassidy. Ginger followed wordlessly, eyeballs roving around every inch of her house. Madi could feel her silently judging it but ignoring her, choosing to focus on the other two who were at least making an effort.

Clarke popped her head into the foyer and introduced herself to the girls. She didn’t want to intrude but her curiosity got the best of her. The girls looked like standard prep school kids for the most part. She assumed the sullen one was Ginger, who was exactly as Madi had described, even her energy was aggressive. But something about her caught Clarke’s interest, she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Ginger reminded her of someone, she just couldn’t figure out who it was. Not wanting to intrude, she made an offer for pizza before slipping into the sunroom to work on her sketches.

“Your mom is like ridiculously beautiful, holy crap,” Cassidy gasped, flipping her long brown hair over her shoulder as she took a seat at the kitchen table.

“It’s like shocking, she looks super young, my mother would kill for skin like that,” Genevieve agreed, arranging her folders and books on the table.

“I guess she is pretty young for a mom,” Madi admitted, shrugging, it didn’t cross her mind often that her mom didn’t exactly look like a mom.

“How old is she?” Ginger asked, uttering her first word since she had stepped into the house.

“Thirty two,” Madi answered shrugging, she wasn’t ashamed of how young her mom was. They had a great life, just the two of them.

“Wow, she had you when she was seventeen?” Cassidy asked, pausing to do the math. Madi nodded and all the girls’ eyes widened, “I’m sixteen, I can’t imagine having a baby right now.”

“I don’t think she would recommend it, but our life is pretty good. We have a lot of fun together,” Madi said nonchalantly, she didn’t love this subject and wanted desperately for them to talk about something else.

“It’s cool…she’s less of a mom and more like a big sister. I bet you can talk to her about anything. That must be so nice,” Cassidy sighed, propping her chin on her palm.

“Yeah she’s my best friend in the world,” Madi agreed, pulling up their article on her laptop.

Clarke leaned against the wall of the sunroom, smiling at the bit of conversation that she could hear filtering out of the living room. She was really proud of the kid she had raised and the life she had built for them, it was nice to hear that Madi felt the same. Plus it didn’t hurt to be called shockingly beautiful every once in a while. She sketched the classrooms and diagrams of the house, listening to the girls quietly discuss their debate, pausing every once in a while to chatter about school gossip.

Their conversation was mostly mindless, but her ears perked up as the girls began to discuss boys. Genevieve was lamenting about what a loser her ex-boyfriend was when Madi suddenly blurted out.

“What do you do when a boy stops answering?” Madi said nervously, looking down at the screen of her phone.

“Can I see?” Cassidy asked kindly, reaching out to take the phone from her hand, eyes scanning through the messages. “This is so wholesome,” she smiled, handing the phone back after all three girls had read through the texts.

“I mean is 11am on a Saturday, he could just be in the middle of something?”

“I guess that’s true, but he was so good about answering before then,” Madi sighed, staring at the messages again.

“You’re already spoiled, he’s an extremely wholesome kid. It’s like every guy in this town is stuck in 1984. Most boys in 2019 would never send huge paragraphs discussing whether J.D Salinger invented the softboi.”

Ginger snorted but quickly refocused her attention on the notes she was taking from the article in front of her.

“Give him a few hours, boys are just dumb like that,” Genevieve assured, tapping her pencil against her lip.

“Did Salinger invent the softboi?” Ginger asked quietly.

Madi smiled, “In my opinion Holden Caulfield is the ultimate softboi but Jordan said he was too whiny to be a softboi and was more trademark angsty teen.”

“I see your point,” Ginger shrugged, letting out a small giggle before straightening herself and turning back to her work.

Clarke stepped back into the kitchen with her phone in hand, smile etched on her face. It was nice to see Madi acting like a normal teenager and these girls seemed nice enough.

“How do we feel about pizza? We could also do burgers, I know a guy who makes killer French fries,” Clarke suggested, leaning her elbow against Madi’s chair.

The girls all hummed in agreement over the burgers and fries after Madi lamented over the magic that was Bellamy’s burgers.

“So do you guys have any fun plans for the weekend?” Clarke asked, grabbing sodas for the girls from the fridge.

“Not really, the social scene at Hillside isn’t really exciting,” Cassidy shrugged.

“That’s shocking…I went to Hillside back in the day and we had many a mansion rager in my time,” Clarke laughed, thinking about the time she had hauled a keg into her parent’s poolhouse and Abby had almost popped a blood vessel.

“Security cameras have really killed the fun,” Genevieve explained.

“Welll we’re going to a Brittany Spears concert tonight and we have a few extra tickets if you all would like to come?” Clarke offered, shooting Madi a reassuring smile.

“OH MY GOD,” both Genevieve and Cassidy exclaimed, jumping out of their chairs and surrounding Madi. “That’s literally crazy, Brittany Spears is a legend.”

“It’s just me, my mom and my mom’s friend Raven, so it should be pretty chill,” Madi explained as Cassidy hugged her from behind.

Ginger sat stoically staring at the paper in front of her before whispering, “I have to call my sister.” She smiled awkwardly at Madi before pushing away from the table and stepping outside.

“Why is she calling Lexa? Doesn’t she live in France?” Genevie frowned, turning to face Cassidy.

Clarke’s stomach dropped as the realization hit her. That was why Ginger had looked so familiar. She was Lexa’s younger sister. It suddenly all came together, the long dark hair, the hard brow and stern expressions. Of course, out of everyone it was Lexa who would come back to haunt her.

Lexa had been older, and she had been her first love. But as the tale goes, the senior never waits for the freshman. She ran off to Europe right after graduation and had broken Clarke’s heart in two. She had always had a part of her that wondered what would’ve happened if they had worked out but the pain of that breakup had brought her Finn, which subsequently had led to Madi. Clarke hadn’t even known she had a sister, in retrospect Lexa had always kind of been a mystery.

Ginger returned from outside, her shoulders were slumped, and she awkwardly shoved her phone back into her pocket. Clarke’s heart went out to her, she knew how hard it was to love Lexa at times. She had a habit of keeping people at arm’s length. It was obvious that Lexa didn’t answer.

“Thank you for inviting me,” Ginger said, turning to Clarke and giving her an unsure smile.

“Of course, you guys all look cute obviously, but you can borrow clothes from us if you want to,” Clarke called over her shoulder, dipping back into the sunroom to call Raven.

It was times like this that she wished she had friends leftover from high school, the Lexa news was beyond shocking and she had nobody to tell. She was glad she had invited the girls to the concert, she wanted Madi to have a group of friends to call ten years from now to bitch about old gossip. Ginger kind of seemed like she needed some good friends too, she was a little rough around the edges, but it was clear that she was trying.

XXX

The girls all huddled together around Madi’s phone, posing for selfies inside of the elaborate concert box.

“Your mom is literally the coolest,” Genevie exclaimed, angling her hip to show off the miniskirt she had borrowed from Clarke’s closet. “I can’t believe she wears the same size as me, this skirt is adorable.”

“These are amazing tickets,” Ginger agreed, pulling at the hem of her crop top. Madi had a feeling she had never worn something so revealing. “I’ve never really been to a concert before.”

After months of hating her, Madi was starting to just feel bad for Ginger. It was clear that even though Cassidy and Genevie were nice, they were closer to each other and subsequently ignored her most of the time. Plus, it didn’t seem like her sister or her parents were particularly involved. It made Madi especially grateful for her mom and the little town that loved her, even if she hadn’t always had a lot of friends. She wished Ginger had had the same. 

They continued chatting excitedly as the opener finished up and the lights dimmed for Brittany Spears.

Clarke felt like she was in middle school again as she bounced with Raven to Womanizer and sipped on a White Claw. She couldn’t drink much since she had Madi and the girls with her, but one seltzer couldn’t hurt. Plus, they were relatively low maintenance anyway, chatting and dancing amongst themselves.

Brittany Spears was just as amazing as she had been when she was a teenager, she even looked the same. She went through all of her hits and the crowd was screaming at the top of their lungs. By the time she had finished Hit Me Baby One More Time, Clarke was sweating from the excited jumping. She was relieved when the lights dimmed further and Brittany took a seat on a stool to do a slower song. Just as she was about to sit down, Madi stepped up to wrap Clarke in a one armed hug.

“I’m having a lot of fun, thank you,” she grinned, putting her other arm around Raven.

“Anytime kiddo,” Raven replied, reaching out to squeeze Madi.

“Your friends seem like they’re having fun too!” Clarke observed, peeking over at the group of girls chatting in the corner.

“Yeah, I think it’s going well, would you mind if we went downstairs to get some food?”

“There’s food here,” Clarke laughed, pointing to the extremely large table of candy and popcorn that had been laid out.

“But there’s no radioactive cheese!”

“Okay, go and bring me back some radioactive cheese too,” Clarke dug through her bag and handed Madi some cash.

Madi smiled broadly and ran over to the girls, gesturing for them to follow her down the broad staircase.

The hallways was relatively empty since the concert was still going on and there were only a few people in line for the concessions. Madi looked through the menu, Ginger bouncing nervously beside her.

“I’m not allowed to have cheese usually, do you think they would put extra on there?” she asked, eyes flicking toward the giant vat of yellow cheese.

“I don’t see why not.”

“Thank you again for this and for inviting me, I know I’ve been pretty terrible to you,” Ginger admitted, shuffling forward with the line.

“Hey, we all have our moments…I’m not great with people either,” Madi shrugged.

“Yeah I don’t do well with competition. You’re smart and you look like little birds help you get dressed in the morning. I got a little threatened.”

“You should consider a career in politics…you put up a good fight. I was kind of terrified of you before today.”

“I want to go to med school, but I’ll consider it as a backup,” Ginger laughed, giving Madi a smile that looked completely genuine. Madi smiled back, this felt like a turning point. Maybe she had been right before, she and Ginger might just be able to be friends. 

Just as they were about to step up to the counter, Genevie and Cassidy came running up from behind with two boys in tow. Madi jumped a little as they swung their arms over her shoulders, she hadn’t even noticed they weren’t right behind her before.

“This is Josh and Tanner,” Cassidy explained, pointing at the two boys standing beside them. “They go to ArkU and they’re having a party at their apartment right now.”

“They invited us to go!” Genevie squealed, interrupting Cassidy’s dramatic explanation. “An actual party guys!”

“Not just a party, a **college **party,” Cassidy finished, eyes wide as she looked between Madi and Ginger.

Madi’s brow furrowed and she glanced at Ginger who looked similarly confused.

“We’re literally in the middle of a concert,” Ginger rolled her eyes, gesturing her arm toward the music that was pouring out of the arena doors.

“Yeah but this is like a once in a lifetime opportunity, we have to go,” Cassidy said, tone dripping with exasperation.

“My mom and Raven are waiting for us, we can’t just leave, she’ll be super worried,” Madi replied, crossing her arms. “Plus we don’t know those guys, they could be creeps.”

“Please, your mom was talking about ragers earlier. She’s totally cool, I bet she won’t care.”

“Why don’t we just stay, Brittany hasn’t even done some of the best songs yet?” Madi suggested, she knew that this was a losing battle but at least she could try.

“You being so paranoid. We’re going…” Genevie said irritably, pointing her thumb toward Cassidy. “Ginger? Are you coming? I’m sure they have more friends.”

“I’m having a good time here and we’re about to order nacho cheese. Sounds a lot better than drinking warm beer with Brad and Chad,” Ginger snapped, turning toward to counter to order her nachos.

“Suit yourselves,” Cassidy snapped back, rolling her eyes and extracting her arm from where it was wrapped around Madi. Without much fanfare, she turned and grabbed the hand of the boy in neon blue shorts, following him toward the exit. Genevie was closely behind, having hopped onto the back of the shorter boy.

Madi squirmed uncomfortably, reaching to pay for the enormous order of nachos that Ginger had just placed.

“Do you think they’re going to be okay?” Madi asked nervously as they watched their food being prepared.

“They’re idiots, I can’t believe they’re giving up Brittany Spears for two mediocre frat boys,” Ginger shrugged, eyes widening as the guy ladled a huge portion of cheese onto the chips.

“But like I can’t believe that they just left, those guys could easily be serial murderers,” Madi exclaimed, balancing two huge trays as they turned to walk back toward the box.

“Trust me, Genevie and Cassidy can take care of themselves. Enjoy the nachos, I think Brittany might bring a snake on stage later,” Ginger replied flippantly, pushing back the curtain and sitting back down.

Madi handed the larger portion of nachos to Clarke and sat back down next to Ginger. She was probably right; they would be fine.

XXX

Unfortunately, there was no snake but Madi and Ginger were dancing to Slave 4 U when Clarke popped into between them.

“Did the other two go to the bathroom? They’ve been gone for a while,” she asked, stealing a sip from Madi’s Dr. Pepper.

“They left,” Ginger responded simply, turning back toward the stage.

Clarke’s heart dropped to her feet, but she had to pause her panic to shake her head at how similar this girl was to her sister. The lack of awareness and extreme bluntness ran deep in the gene pool apparently.

“What do you mean they left?!” Clarke yelled, putting her hand on Madi’s shoulder to turn her.

“They met these two frat boys from ArkU and went to some party,” Madi began and Ginger turned and added, “They invited us, but it sounded stupid.”

“I’m sorry but you let me sit here eating nachos while two teenaged girls ran away to go drink with pedophiles?!” she yelled, running her hands through her hair. This was her fault, Madi was too sheltered, she had no idea how to deal with things like this.

Hearing the commotion, Raven stood up to see why Clarke was so hysterical.

“They’re not pedophiles, they’re barely older than us,” Madi replied weakly, panic setting in as the reality of the situation dawned on her.

“I’m sorry but men in their twenties who are trying to sleep with girls who are fifteen is a little skuzzy to me,” Raven agreed, scrubbing a hand over her face as she took in what was happening.

“I came to this concert with four girls and I’m not leaving this city without four girls,” Clarke said finally, rubbing her palms against her jeans. She didn’t want to scare Madi and Ginger, but this was bad. Like nuclear levels of bad. She shouldn’t have underestimated the stupidity of teenage girls. Those two had already been gone for almost an hour, she couldn’t believe that she hadn’t noticed sooner. Damn that stupid White Claw.

“Okay do you have them on Find My Friends?” Clarke asked hopefully, looking at Ginger.

“No, but they have their Snapmaps turned on,” Ginger replied, quickly tapping on her phone.

“I never thought I would be this grateful for Snapchat,” Clarke sighed, taking the phone from Ginger. She copied the address in her GoogleMaps and gestured for the others to follow as she speedwalked out of the arena.

They were practically running down the streets of Arkadia, following the directions to an apartment building just off of the ArkU campus.

“The directions end here but Cassidy posted a video and it looks like they’re on the fourth floor,” Ginger offered, looking between Raven and Clarke.

“I honestly don’t even want to know how you managed to figure that out,” Raven shook her head, pushing the double doors of the building and casually walking toward the elevator, trying not to draw too much attention. 

As the elevator door slammed shut, Ginger leaned over the Clarke and whispered, “If I went missing, I wonder if anyone would look for me like this…”

“Ginger…you know they would,” Madi whispered back, shooting the other girl with a concern look.

“Probably not, but my family would probably send someone. I kind of think my sister might be a drug mule so I bet she knows people,” Ginger said nonchalantly, turning away to face the door.

They reached the right floor and the sound of EDM music could clearly be heard booming from an apartment around the corner. Fueled by rage, Clarke stormed out of the elevator and strode right toward the door, banging on it loudly. There was no answer. She banged again, punctuating the knock with a kick to the door. Hopefully this was the right apartment because otherwise she was going to look like a serial killer. 

There was a pause and the door swing open, a disheveled looking boy answered and gave Clarke a once over. “Heeeeyyyyyy,” he smiled, eyes affixed firmly to her boobs.

Clarke snapped her finger in front of him and cleared her throat. “I think some of your guests are friends of mine,” she snapped, standing on her tiptoes to peek over the boy’s shoulder.

The apartment was packed, typical college party. In the corner of the room, she caught sight of Genevie perched on a couch with a red solo cup in hand. Without much thought, she pushed past the boy and barged into the apartment. Nobody really took notice of her except for the affronted boy from before but she suddenly wished that she was a normal 40 year old mom that screamed narc. 

“Dude, you can’t just barge in here like that. This is my apartment!”

“Oh but **dude**, I can just barge in here when two **fifteen year old **girls, who I am in charge of…get lured to a party by a bunch of your skuzzy friends! Now unless you want to deal with the hundreds of consequences that are attached to dumb and dumber over there, I suggest you let me take them home. But if you want to put up a fight, be my guest…I may look young and fun but I do a ‘can I speak to the manager’ bit that would put Kate Gosselin to shame,” Clarke warned, trying to keep her voice level as she stormed through the apartment and stared down the two girls.

The boy threw both his hands up and stepped to the side. The music abruptly turned off and all eyes shifted toward Clarke glaring at both girls as they quickly collected their things.

Genevie and Cassidy both flushed a deep red, hurriedly straightening their clothes and shuffling out of the apartment. Clarke gave the boys one last withering glare before she turned on her heel and slammed the door on her way out.

“That was soooo embarrassing…” Cassidy whined, pointedly ignoring eye contact with both adults.

“Okay,” Clarke said sternly, planting her hands on her hips and turning to face the girls. “I’d like to think of myself as being pretty chill but you two completely took advantage of me tonight. I’m not your parent so I don’t really care what you do in your free time but you do **not **pull shit like that on my watch. Trust me, I know stupid teenage shit. In fact, I practically invented it, but I cannot believe that in 2019 you don't understand how incredibly dangerous it is to follow two random college guys to a party in a city that you don’t know. There are so many terrible things that could’ve happened, you both are impossibly lucky that this wasn’t much worse. I genuinely do not give two shits if you’re embarrassed because you should be embarrassed and you should know better. Now I’m sure you’ll get an earful from your parents when I tell them what happened here tonight, so I’ll leave it at that,” she yelled, voice echoing off the walls of the elevator.

XXX

Clarke waved goodbye to Cassidy and Genevie’s parents as they drove off with their daughters in tow and sighed in relief. This wasn’t how she expected the night to go but she was relieved that it was finally over. She toed her heels off and flopped down on the couch, breathing deeply through her nose. As much as she was furious about the whole situation, she was relieved that Madi had been sensible enough to not follow along with that convoluted plan. Plus, at least one positive came out of the situation. Madi and Ginger seemed to genuinely be getting along, Madi had even invited her to sleep over after the circus.

She hauled herself off the couch and tip toed toward Madi’s room, her feet were impossibly sore after all the angry running she had done today. Mental note, heels were not well suited for chasing teenage girls around the city.

She paused outside of Madi’s door listening to the girls quietly whisper between themselves.

“He finally texted me back! It must’ve come in while shit was going down so I didn’t see it. The message was super long so I think he was just waiting till he had time to type out everything,” Madi said excitedly.

Clarke stepped into the doorway and propped her hip against the frame.

“Do you guys need anything?” she asked, smiling at both girls from where they lay tucked into Madi’s queen bed.

They both nodded no and Clarke moved further into the room, perching on the edge of the quilt.

“Thank you for not doing something stupid today. You have good heads on your shoulders, I’m proud of you,” she smiled, leaning forward to press a kiss to Madi’s forehead.

“I’m so sorry mom,” Madi apologized again, sitting up to hold Clarke’s hand.

“You handled the whole situation pretty well, it’s okay,” she assured squeezing her hand and pushing off the bed. “Goodnight girls! I hope you had fun today Ginger.”

“I did,” Ginger beamed, “this was honestly one of the most fun days of my entire life. Thank you so much.”

Clarke gave them both a fond smile and closed the door to the room gently. She was glad that Madi finally seemed to have found herself a good friend, even if it was Lexa’s little sister. Based on the comments she was making earlier; they had a weird relationship anyway.

Just as she was about to sit back down on the couch, there was a faint knock on the door. Confused, she swung it open to reveal Bellamy.

“I was hanging out with Wick when Raven got home, she mentioned you might need a pick me up,” he said sheepishly holding up coffees and a brown paper bag.

“Bless you,” she sighed, reaching out to take one of the coffees from the holder and gesturing toward the two chairs out on the porch.

She sank into her favorite overstuffed armchair and took a long sip of the coffee, reveling in the warmth. She was exhausted and this was exactly what she needed.

“So I heard you had quite the day…”

“Did Raven fill you in on everything?”

“She might have dramatized it just a little but for the most part yeah,” he laughed, extracting a donut from the bag and handing it to her on a napkin.

“Bell, I have never been more terrified and furious in my entire life. I thought they had been sold into the sex trade or something,” Clarke shook her head, taking a huge bite out of her donut.

“Kids are stupid. The fact that you found them at all is a feat in itself,” he said, breaking a donut in half for himself. “Plus Raven told me that you compared yourself to Kate Gosselin so that’s noteworthy too.”

“Hey! It was an appropriate reference at the time, okay?” she shrugged, shaking her shoulders. “How was your day? I need to stop thinking about this. Distract me,” she urged, she needed a break from the whole situation. If she thought about it anymore, she would lose her mind. 

Bellamy paused, pressing a thumb to his temple and exhaling deeply. It was only then that Clarke realized that he looked exhausted too and she reached out to place a hand on his arm. 

“I went wedding dress shopping with Octavia today because she doesn’t have a maid of honor yet. Do you know how difficult it is to find a period appropriate wedding dress for a renaissance faire?” he sighed, voiced laced with exasperation and a little sadness. 

Clarke snorted, laughing at the picture of Bellamy miserably sitting in a bridal shop. “Did you find one?”

“No…she tried on like a hundred dresses and they were all wrong in some way. She’s freaking out now. I told her planning a wedding in two weeks was a bad idea but does she ever listen to me? Plus I think the whole thing was dredging up feelings about our mom not being there, as much as I tried, I don't really understand what makes a dress look good vs. bad.”

Her heart broke, it was clear that the day had taken its toll on him too. She understood the emotions to an extent, big life events always felt a little hollow because her dad wasn't there to see them. The thought that he wouldn't be at her wedding one day broke her heart a little. Not that she had plans of getting married anytime soon, but she couldn't even imagine how difficult this all must be for Octavia. 

“You don’t have to say yes, but I know how to sew pretty well. I used to make all of mine and Madi’s clothes until she was in middle school. If what she wants is simple enough, I could probably help make one for her,” Clarke suggested, smiling at the shock that flitted over his face.

“Clarke…that’s so much work for you, I couldn’t let you do-“

“I don’t mind! Really, it’s been a while since I’ve had the chance to sew,” she insisted, taking another bite of her donut to break the tension.

“I’ll run it by her and see what she says,” he answered tentatively, covering his grin with his coffee cup.

After that, they chatted about the concert and whether or not the original snake from the Brittany Spears video was still alive. Since most of weight of their days had been shed, the conversation was considerably lighter. Clarke couldn’t help but notice how much her mood had improved in a matter of a few minutes. Bellamy really had a knack for that. She hoped Octavia agreed to letting her help with the dress, the smile on Bellamy's face with make it beyond worth it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about all the confusing changes I've been making. Hopefully you guys like this chapter, it's much more representative of what this story will look like from now on. Thank you again to all of you for reading and engaging with this story. My first story came very naturally and this one has been a much longer process in comparison but I'm finally happy and proud of where it is at. I hope you love this chapter as much as I do. 
> 
> Love y'all <3 As always, feel free to send me suggestions and feedback if you feel compelled.


	7. First Dates and Mother in-laws

Clarke swung her feet against the old, wooden counter, sketchbook propped in her lap. It was a quiet afternoon, one could almost call it peaceful if she ignored the banging and drilling from upstairs. Their project was well underway and right now it looked worse than it had when they started, but Raven assured her that it would look better eventually.

She winced as a huge bang emanated from upstairs. The commotion of whatever had been dropped, distracted Clarke enough that she didn’t notice Octavia enter the building.

“Hey,” Octavia waved, stepping forward to lean against the counter, “Bellamy told me about how you offered to help me with my dress. You really don’t have to if you don’t want to, I know my brother gets a little dramatic sometimes. You clearly have a lot going on here,” she said gesturing around the broken down house.

“It’s really no problem at all, I learned to sew back when my daughter was a baby. I haven’t had the chance to do it in a while, I don’t mind! I wouldn’t exactly call myself Vera Wang but-“ Clarke began, smiling earnestly.

“You’re amazing, truly,’ Octavia grinned, lunging forward to wrap Clarke in a tight hug.

“Had anyone ever told you that you and Bellamy are nothing alike?” Clarke laughed.

“He loves a good hug too, he just doesn’t know how to show it.”

“You might have a point there,” Clarke began before stopping herself and quickly, turned back to her sketchpad to find the dresses she had began drawing earlier. Discussing Bellamy with his sister was probably not a good move. She flipped to her favorite one, a bell sleeved trumpet dress with lace sleeves.

Octavia gasped, clutching the pad against her chest with a broad grin. “This is perfect, it’s beautiful thank you. It’s like you read my mind, you’re literally a magician,” she gushed, placing the sketchbook the counter.

“I’m so glad! I watched a lot of Princess Bride for inspiration.”

Octavia beamed and turned to dig into her bag, “I almost forgot! I made these for you,” she said, handing Clarke a pair of pale pink crystal earrings and a matching teardrop necklace.

“You made these?” Clarke’s eyebrows shot up, “They’re beautiful.” She continued gratefully, pushing back her hair to carefully loop the earrings through her ears.

“It’s the least I could do, considering how much you’re helping me,” Octavia dismissed.

“Seriously, it’s my pleasure. It’s about time I pay forward some of the small town charm.”

“I forgot how wholesome this place is honestly, my fiancé is convinced this whole thing is a simulation.”

“If I didn’t live here, I would think the same.”

“I miss it though,” Octavia sighed, propping her chin on her palm, “Being here like this kind of makes me want to come back.”

“There’s something in the air here,” Clarke agreed, hopping back up on the counter.

“Yeah it’s the kind of place you want to settle down in, it’s part of why I hated it so much when I was young. It was too stagnant. But now that I’m older, I think I get why people stay here.”

“It’s a great place to raise a kid. They say it takes a village and Polis takes that literally.”

Octavia chuckled softly, “I guess you would know, Madi’s a great kid.”

“Oh! You’ve met her? I’m so glad! She’s awesome, but I kind of think she was born that way. I didn’t have much to do with it.”

“Yeah I met her when she was at Blake’s with that boy yesterday. Bellamy was totally tweaking about it. I swear his dad mode goes into overdrive around her.”

Clarke tried to keep the surprise from showing on her face, she didn’t know Madi was meeting up with Jordan yesterday. She couldn’t help the small niggle of hurt that burned in her chest, Madi had always shared everything with her. It hurt that she felt like she couldn’t talk about this.

“Madi’s dad is…difficult. As much as she pretends like it embarrasses her, I think she probably picked Blake’s because she knew Bellamy would kill the kid if he tried anything too slick. She needs that kind of paternal energy in her life I think,” Clarke laughed, heart warming at the thought. At least if Madi was going to be closed off about this, Bellamy was keeping an eye out for her.

“He really cares about you both. I know my brother, he doesn’t do stuff like that for just anyone,” Octavia said, giving Clarke a long, weighted look.

Before Clarke could respond, another bang came from upstairs as Raven came barreling down the hall.

“I’m going to kill Jasper, he shorted out the entire electrical system!” she yelled, punctuating her sentence by banging her fist against the counter.

“Does it matter? It’s not like we have any lights to turn on?” Clarke asked, placing a gentle hand over Raven’s shoulder.

“My powersaw turned off IN THE MIDDLE of a piece of wood,” Raven answered, exasperation clear in her tone.

Shit,” Clarke swore, shooting an apologetic look at Octavia. It was only then that Raven seemed to register that there was another person in the room and gave Octavia a sheepish smile.

Octavia gave her a toothy grin in return. “If you need help, I’m actually really good at resetting powertools. My fiancé is a swordsmith, so we have a ton of heavy machinery!”

Raven’s face lit up in surprise and she quickly grabbed Octavia’s arm. “Okay can you reset the saw after I flip the breaker? I can’t trust Jasper with anything,” Raven asked, excitement spilling into her voice.

Clarke shook her head, she was glad that there was another person to placate Raven when she started freaking out. Ignoring the loud whirring coming from the other room, she flipped on her phone camera and admired the earrings Octavia had made. They really were beautiful.

XXX

Madi jiggled her leg nervously and tapped her fingers against the slightly sticky table. Her phone sat motionless on the table, notably silent.

“You okay?” Bellamy asked, trying to sound nonchalant as he wiped down a nearby table. Madi had been meeting up here with the new boy in town for the past week and every time she seemed more and more squirrely. It made him nervous, he didn’t like the idea of Madi chasing after a boy that was leading her on.

“Mhmmm,” Madi answered, staring intently at her phone. It didn’t even seem like she had registered what he said.

Bellamy gave her a long look, examining how she was opening and closing her messages.

“Madi,” he began awkwardly, sliding into the seat across from her, “this boy, that you’ve been ermmm seeing. He’s being nice to you right? Like he’s making sure that you’re comfortable and being clear about his intentions?”

A deep red flushed across Madi’s cheeks as her head jerked up from her phone. She gave Bellamy a wide eyed and weary look across the table, “He’s very nice, it’s just that I’m not used to this so it kind of freaks me out,” she explained carefully, giving him an awkward smile.

“Well if he doesn’t appreciate you for who you are, feel free to dump a cup of coffee on his head. I’ll clean up the mess. Because he should feel lucky that you’re talking to him at all,” he assured, reaching out to squeeze Madi’s hand.

A rush of fondness washed over Madi, she knew that Bellamy must feel impossibly awkward having this conversation but he was trying. That was the thing about Bellamy, he always tried and he always wanted the best for her. Sometimes she just wished Bellamy was her dad, it would’ve made her life a heck of a lot easier and it would probably have made her mom a lot happier.

“Thanks Bellamy,” she smiled, squeezing his hand and returning back to her phone. Bellamy motioned from Murphy to bring out some fries and a Coke for Made as he stood up and continued to wipe down tables. 

Bellamy sighed to himself as he watched the red and white checkered rag move against the table. He knew how teenage boys operated and he didn’t trust that kid for a second, even if he did seem relatively decent.

“The dad talk was cute,” Murphy teased, rearing back around after delivering Madi’s fries.

“Shut up. I don’t trust that kid,” Bellamy huffed, dipping behind the counter and crossing his arms.

“He seems harmless! Very all American athlete for Jesus type. My daughters have definitely brought home much worse, there was one that only referred to me as ‘old man’ and Emori as ‘old lady’. As you can guess, he was not invited back for dinner,” he assured, giving Bellamy a firm pat on the shoulder.

“If he’s so great, where the hell is he? She’s clearly waiting for him and he’s nowhere to be seen.”

Murphy shrugged and lifted an amused eyebrow, “You can’t protect them forever, they have to grow up eventually.”

“I know but did it have to be a kid on the _hockey _team?” Bellamy sighed, fiddling with the cash register. 

“That kid will never be able to win with you. If I were him, I’d be terrified…between you and Clarke, he’s dead,” Murphy chuckled, “speaking of, what does Clarke think about all this?”

“I actually don’t know,” Bellamy answered, eyebrows knitting together when he realized that he hadn’t seen Clarke in a few days. She hadn’t been coming in as often lately, he figured it was a combination of the upcoming commotion of the renaissance faire and the recent construction on Indra’s old house.

Murphy wordlessly poured two to-go cups of coffee and pressed them into his hands, “I can already see where this is going, I can cover for you here. Go check on her, I know you want to,” he smiled, shoving a few donuts into a bag and placing them in front of Bellamy.

Bellamy looked between the coffees in his hands and Madi still bouncing in her seat.

“I’ll keep an eye on her. Seriously, I have four daughters who all dated various degrees of losers. I can handle it,” Murphy assured, nudging Bellamy away from the counter.

Bellamy sighed and gave Murphy an irritated look but resigned and collected his coffees before dipping out the door. Murphy had been his friend since kindergarten, and it was times like this that Bellamy was impossibly grateful for him. Murphy was the only person in his life who had never pried into his friendship with Clarke, he just took it at face value and ran with it.

He speedwalked through town, dodging what looked like a very aggressive argument between Thelonious Jaha and a court jester. Suppressing a laugh, he cut through the town square and reared into the old part of town. Clarke’s Jeep was parked outside of the dilapidated house and he weaved through the fallen trees before entering the foyer.

To his surprise, he was greeted by his sister folded over the counter discussing something in a notebook with Clarke and Raven. Octavia was wide eyed and making large movements with her hands as she excitedly explained something to the other two women. She paused when she caught sight of Bellamy, eyebrows shooting to her hairline.

“Hey big brother,” she called loudly, broad smile spreading across her cheeks. She was looking at Bellamy like she had caught him doing something scandalous, eyes darting toward the two coffees in his hand.

“I didn’t bring enough coffees for all three of you, but I have tons of donuts,” he answered sheepishly, playing off the extra coffee as if it were for Raven. He wasn’t really sure why he was so embarrassed, but he could feel the tips of his ears heating.

Clarke gave him a warm smile and took the coffee from his hand as Octavia reached out to grab a donut from the bag. Raven took the other coffee with a sly smirk, shaking her head when she took a sip and realized the coffee was black.

He set down the remaining donuts and looked around the house before turning back to the three women. “Wait, what are you doing here?” he asked, turning toward Octavia.

“Well, I came here to thank Clarke for her help with my dress and ended up giving Raven a hand with the powertools,” Octavia shrugged with a giant mouthful of donut.

“You know how to use powertools?” Bellamy said skeptically, raising an eyebrow at his sister.

“I know how to do a lot of things,” she shrugged, turning around to scribble something on the sketchpad on the counter.

“She’s been a big help, we might just have ourselves a third musketeer here…” Raven grinned, hooking her arm around Octavia’s shoulders.

Bellamy had to keep the shock from showing on his face. He couldn’t believe that his sister was considering staying back in Polis. Maybe she had changed after all.

“Does she get birthday handyman hours too?” Clarke murmured, siding up against him as Raven and Octavia began chatting amongst themselves. “Because we could use as many of those as we can get.” She gave him a private smile and carefully tucked a blonde curl behind her ear. A soft pink crystal earring glinted in the light and without thinking Bellamy reached out and ran a finger against it.

“Octavia made them for me, aren’t they beautiful?” Clarke grinned, tucking her hair behind her other ear so he could see the earrings together.

Bellamy nodded and smiled back, swallowing the lump that was forming in his throat as he turned back to the other two. His sister still had a smug look on her face but he stately ignored her.

“So what exactly are we cashing my handyman hours on?” he asked, knocking his elbow against Clarke’s.

Raven immediately jumped up from the counter and gestured for Bellamy to follow, listing off the hundreds of things that she needed help with.

Bellamy gave Clarke a closed mouth smiled as he shoved his hands in his pockets and followed Raven. The house was in pretty bad shape, the paint was peeling in places and there were holes from where they had begun sledgehammering into them.

“I mainly need help with doing layout because I don’t know which walls are load bearing,” Raven finished, turning toward him and leaning in a chipped doorframe.

Bellamy leaned forward and knocked heavily against the wall, “Well this one’s load bearing so you’re going to need to patch up those holes,” he smirked, taking a seat on a stool in the corner of the room.

“Shit, I told Jasper to check before he did that but he just doesn’t listen,” Raven sighed, rubbing her temple with her thumb.

“It’s an easy enough fix,” he assured, running his hands through his hair. “Do you really think that O might stay?” he asked carefully, knowing the subject change was abrupt.

“Honestly, yeah. She’s different, it reminds me of what she was like when we were kids. Before…everything, you know?” Raven answered, giving him a genuine smile.

“Part of me is glad but part of me is waiting for the other shoe to drop,” he sighed, resting his elbows on his knees.

“Sometimes you’ve just gotta let stuff play out,” she shrugged, sliding down against the wall to plop onto the floor. “Marriage changes people.”

“Says the girl who got married the weekend after her high school graduation,” Bellamy teased, tilting his chin toward Raven.

“Hey, when you know you know,” Raven laughed, tipping her head back and laughing at the memory of her haphazard wedding. “And I also know that the black coffee that you handed me earlier was not for me.”

Bellamy’s cheeks tinged a soft pink as he held up his hands defensively, “I just came to talk to Clarke! I don’t know why you and Octavia are acting like I showed up with a ring in my pocket.”

Raven laughed but gave him a long, careful look, “I’m just saying that for once, the timing is right. I think it seems weirder than usual because you both have never been single at the same time until now…”

“That’s not true!”

“Yeah it is. She dated Nilyah, then that imploded but by then you were dating Gina. Eventually, you broke up with her but by then Clarke was secretly hooking up with Finn. That worked out as well as we all expected it to and by then you were with Echo. Then Echo cheated on you, you beat up that guy’s car and Clarke bailed you out of jail. And now here we are with you bringing her coffee and her sneaking snacks for you in her purse,” Raven shrugged, reaching into her pocket to retrieve a stick of gum.

“Okay, okay, I get it,” he resigned, holding up his hands in surrender.

Raven gave him a smug look as she chewed thoughtfully. “I’m just saying that if you ever wanted to shoot your shot. Now’s the time.” She gave him one last look before turning and moving further into the next room.

Bellamy paused, mulling over what Raven had said as he hauled himself off the stool and moved to follow her. She had a point, but he didn’t really want to consider the implications of what she had said. It was too complicated. Clarke was his best friend…and well, Bellamy didn’t exactly have a lot of friends. He walked through the rest of the upstairs, dodging various holes in the floor and ignoring Raven muttering about Jasper. The image of Clarke smiling at him with those earrings on, was burning into the back of his eyelids and his stomach flipped a little as he and Raven returned downstairs to find Clarke sitting on top of the counter with Octavia notably absent.

“Hey, where’d Octavia go?” Raven asked, putting on her coat from where it lay on a chair.

“She had to go to some rehearsal for the faire I think,” Clarke shrugged, closing the sketchbook.

“I have to go help Wick at the garage, but we’ll be back after dinner to look at the wiring upstairs,” Raven explained as she gathered her things into a worn leather bag and made her way out of the house with a large wave.

Clarke set the sketchbook aside and jumped off the counter, moving to stand beside Bellamy.

“So, what’s up?” she asked, turning to face him, “You definitely didn’t just come here to deliver coffee.”

“How dare you doubt my generosity,” Bellamy teased, bumping his elbow against her arm.

Clarke raised an eyebrow and reached out to poke his bicep, letting her finger rest against his arm. “Well if you’re not going to tell me then do you want a tour? This was my very first house afterall.”

Clarke didn’t wait for an answer and instead looped her hand into his elbow to drag him further into the house, rambling explanations about each room with stories about Indra peppered in. Bellamy smiled, arm tingling at the feel of Clarke’s hand wrapped around it.

“I used to mark Madi’s height on this doorframe,” Clarke reminisced, letting go of his arm so she could kneel down to examine the notches.

“Man she was so small,” Bellamy mused, sitting down next to her and wincing at the crack of his knees. “I remember the first time you brought her into the diner, she was barely a person. Just a tiny bundle of blankets sleeping in a stroller.”

“She’s growing up and as much as I love to see it, I wish she could just stay little forever. I really miss when she would come home from school and chatter on and on about her day,” Clarke sighed, rubbing her thumb against the first mark.

“That’s actually why I came here initially. She was meeting up with that kid again.” Bellamy admitted.

“You know I didn’t even know she was going on dates with him until Octavia mentioned it earlier? I don’t know when she stopped telling me things but I hate it. I know it’s part of growing up but it still sucks,” Clarke sighed, fighting the prickle of tears she felt in her eyes.

Bellamy sighed and reached out to wrap his arm around Clarke, who instinctively turned into his chest. A small laugh bubbled up as he thought back to his conversation with Madi earlier, “You know I tried to talk to her about making sure he has good intentions?” he chuckled, looking out into the setting sun.

Clarke let out a small laugh and tilted her chin to smile at him from her place against his chest, “You are aware that she keeps bringing him there because she knows you’ll look out for her? She probably seemed embarrassed but she loves you.”

“Murphy insists the kid is harmless, but you know how teenage boys are, I had to make sure she knew to be careful.”

Clarke tightened her grip around his torso, giving him a tight squeeze as a wave of fondness rushed over her. There weren’t many moments in her life that she wished she had a partner. Generally, she really liked being alone and doing her own thing. But this whole thing with Madi’s new boyfriend had made her wish she had someone to sit at home with at the end of the night and worry with her. Someone to help her navigate this whole thing. For a moment, that void felt like it was being filled. Sometimes she wished she could just have Bellamy like this, domestic and loving. Have him be hers. It almost felt too easy being with him like this and Clarke knew that she should pull away, but she wanted to enjoy the moment for a little longer.

“I know you must be busy but if you want, Madi and I usually do Halloween movie nights on Thursdays in October and I’ve obviously been left behind for greener pastures. Would you want to join?” Clarke asked carefully, pointedly avoiding his gaze.

Bellamy smiled and gave Clarke a quick squeeze, resting his chin against the crown of her head.

“Sounds good to me but I’m kind of a chicken when it comes to horror movies…”

“Oh no, we don’t do horror movies on Halloween Thursday. Tonight’s lineup is Hocus Pocus and Mystic Pizza.”

“Does Mystic Pizza count as a Halloween movie?” Bellamy asked, pulling away to give Clarke a skeptical look.

“It has Mystic in the title, and it is therefore spooky. Plus I love Julia Roberts,” Clarke shrugged, hauling herself up off the floor and reaching out for Bellamy to grab her hand in return.

XXX

Bellamy leaned back against the couch, cracking his knuckles as the opening credits of the movie began to play.

“What kind of pizza do you like?” Clarke asked, browsing through a menu on her phone. She was curled up against the side of the couch, knee tucked under her with her feet pushing lightly against the outside of Bellamy’s thigh.

“I don’t really remember the last time I ate pizza…” Bellamy admitted, wincing as Clarke dug her toe into his thigh.

“I’ll just get you one with a lot of vegetables on it. You can take it home with you,” she resigned as she dialed the pizza place and began rattling off an extensive order. Bellamy rolled his eyes dramatically at her when he realized that she knew the owner by name and stood to retrieve new beers from the fridge.

“What’s the point of having a kitchen if you don’t cook?” he asked, handing her a new bottle and sitting back down next to her. If he was a little closer than he had been before, she didn’t mention it.

“To display my Dolly Parton plate collection and reheat leftover fries, duh,” Clarke teased, readjusting so her feet lay in his lap.

“Of course, how could I be so ignorant,” he laughed, giving her a fond smile before turning back to the screen.

It became increasingly clear as the movie progressed that Mystic Pizza was in fact not a Halloween movie. But Clarke did have a point, it was a waste to watch this movie and not eat pizza.

Just as Bellamy started in on his second slice, the door opened and Madi appeared, talking a mile a minute. Her nose was red from the cold and her coat was clearly rumpled. She paused mid-sentence when she noticed Bellamy sitting with Clarke on the couch. Her brow knit with confusion before a small smirk crossed her face as she looked at her mother’s feet in his lap.

Clarke swung her feet back to rest on the floor, steadfastly ignoring her daughter’s amusement.

“Do you want pizza?” she asked, reaching out to set a slice on a paper plate.

“Of course,” Madi answered, taking the plate from Clarke as she shed off her coat. “Ooohh Mystic Pizza,” she cheered taking a big bite and settling down into the armchair.

“You’re just in time for the dramatic climax,” Clarke assured, pressing play and leaning back into her spot. She couldn’t help but miss the feel of Bellamy’s hand on her shin as they finished the movie.

XXX

Clarke buried into her comforter, tossing and turning until she lay staring at the ceiling. Things with Bellamy had been different lately, like the air had shifted. They had always been close, but she had never really found herself wanting to take thing a step further. Part of her hadn’t wanted him to leave tonight and had relished in the domesticity of the three of them watching a movie. It had felt right, like family should.

She groaned, turning to press her face into the pillow and briefly questioning her sanity. She couldn’t do this. Bellamy was arguably her best friend and she couldn’t risk that. Her track record in relationships was terrible and the thought of making Bellamy hate her, made her skin crawl. He was a father figure in Madi’s life too. There was too much at stake for her to give into this brief mental lapse. It would surely pass with time.

There was a soft creak near the door and Madi quietly climbed into bed next to Clarke, pressing her cold feet against Clarke’s calves.

“Jordan Green kissed me tonight,” Madi said quietly. The sentence hung in the air for a moment before Clarke turned and wrapped her arms around her daughter.

“The red nose kind of gave you away,” Clarke teased softly, resting her chin against Madi’s head.

“I never really thought that a boy would like me like this.”

“Hey, there will be plenty of boys, don’t worry about that. Be with Jordan because you want to and because he’s nice to you, not because you don’t think you’ll ever have another chance.”

“You sound like Bellamy,” Madi sighed, wiggling away a bit to meet Clarke’s gaze. “He gave me a super awkward talk about knowing my worth today.”

“Well then you know it must be true,” Clarke smiled softly, reaching out to smooth her daughter’s hair off her forehead.

“You two seemed awful cozy tonight…”

“We were just hanging out. And we’re talking about your love life, not mine!”

“You admit that Bellamy is part of your love life then? When do I start calling him dad?”

“You could probably call him dad even if we didn’t date. He would definitely love it.”

“Ah but see, that’s weird. Which is why you guys just have to fall in love…”

“I’m going to sleep unless you spill your deets and stop harassing me about Bellamy!” Clarke teased, rolling over as Madi grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back in place.

“Okay fine! I’ll stop!” Madi sighed.

“Well was he a good kisser?” Clarke teased, booping Madi’s nose.

“I don’t really know, I’ve never been kissed before! But it was nice, so I think that’s good,” Madi admitted as Clarke squealed. “Annnd He wants to take me out to dinner tomorrow night since he has practice on Saturdays. Like a real date!!! Do you think there’s any way you could cover for me with grandma?”

Clarke reached out to pressed, the back of her hand to her daughter’s forehead, “Do you feel like you’re coming down with polio? Maybe dengue fever? Because in that case my mother would expect you to be at dinner with a rolling IV bag.”

“Ha Ha,” Madi deadpanned, clearly not amused with Clarke’s bit. “Pleaseeeeee…I promise I’ll make it up to you, he’s so cute and so nice. It would be great to hang out with him somewhere that Bellamy isn’t trying to laser glare him to death.”

“Remind me to buy Bellamy a shot later.”

“MOM.”

“Your grandma is much nicer to you than to me so I think your best bet would be to call her and explain. She’ll be thrilled you’re sharing things with her and probably let you off the hook. If I try, she’ll probably think that I chained you to a radiator to keep you away from her.”

“Okay but what if she says no?”

“Then we put our competitive eating skills to the test and get out of there in time for your date,” Clarke assured, kissing the top of Madi’s head.

Madi laughed and nodded finally, wrapping Clarke in a tight hug, “Thank you.”

“Of course kiddo, I’ve got your back no matter what,” Clarke said, returning the hug, “even if it means that I have to eat a plate of green beans in under 3 minutes.”

“Three minutes?! That’s weak, I’ve seen you eat three tacos in under a minute.”

“Yeah but it’s green beans so I have to paused, every few seconds to gag…duh.”

“Oh yes, how could I possibly forget,” Madi said dramatically, dissolving into peals of laughter. Clarke found herself laughing along, she was extremely grateful that her and Madi were starting to go back to normal.

XXX

Abby swung open the door and the bottom of Clarke’s stomach dropped to her shoes. Clarke followed her mother into the house and carefully handed the new, trembling maid her coat. Abby seemed unhinged, her usual poise and pearly white smile notably missing as she poured her daughter an enormous glass of wine.

“I’m glad you’re here, Marcus’s mother is in town…” Abby said finally, taking a seat in a stiff backed chair across from Clarke. “He’s taken her out to buy some glasses because mine are not acceptable apparently.”

Clarke nodded her head and gave her mother a closed mouth smile, suddenly understanding why she had been poured an inappropriately large glass of wine. Marcus’s mother made Abby Griffin look like a kitten. She was absolutely vile and strongly disapproved of her only child’s marriage to a window with an existing child, even if she was an accomplished surgeon with a fortune of her own. Shockingly, she had always seemed rather fond of Clarke but Clarke always wondered if she was warm to her simply because she knew it enraged Abby.

Melanie Kane brought out the absolute worst in Abby. She made her snappy, insecure and overly explanatory. Honestly, as much as Clarke had problems with her mother, it had always made her angry that Marcus never stood up to his mother about the way she treated his wife.

“I see you’ve brought out the gifts,” Clarke noted, pointing her wine glass toward a particularly ugly glass cherub. Melanie was famous for giving Abby the most heinous gifts, which usually remained hidden in the attic unless otherwise necessary. 

“They’re absolutely horrific, aren’t they?” Abby sighed, downing her glass of wine.

“Mom, why do you let her do this?”

“She’s my husband’s mother…that’s just how it is. You wouldn’t understand, you’re not married.”

Clarke took her deep breath through her nose, ignoring the obvious jab and stepping forward to grab the bottle of wine from the bar cart. She wordlessly poured her mother another glass as they chatted aimlessly about Madi’s date. Their conversation drew to a halt at the sound of the enormous wooden door swinging open and Marcus emerging from the foyer.

“Mother found the most beautiful crystal scotch glasses, I’m having the maid wash them up right now for after dinner drinks,” Marcus said cheerfully, leading his mother to the sitting room with his elbow.

Melanie looked exactly the same as she had when Clarke was in high school, pristine white hair in a stylish crop, bright, vicious blue eyes and thin, veiny hands that had always creeped her out. She took a seat next to Clarke on the loveseat and reached out to wrap Clarke’s hand in hers.

“You are just stunning, how have you been dear?” she asked, ignoring Abby completely.

Clarke gave her mother a fleeting glance before turning on her childhood of etiquette training and playing nice with her step-grandmother.

By the time the maid came to announce that dinner was ready, Abby seemed a little tipsy and Clarke had reached her breaking point for explaining why she wasn’t married and the details of her business plan for the school.

“Ah finally, I was thinking that we should order _Chinese_ since dinner didn’t seem within the realm of possibility,” Melanie said as she stood and pushed past Abby toward the dining room.

Abby’s knuckles whitened around her wine glass as she walked behind her mother in-law.

“Chinese, can you imagine. The gall…” Abby muttered to Clarke.

Dinner passed without much incident, with the exception of Melanie noting that the turkey seemed dry and complaining about the temperature of the dining room. They moved to the card room for dessert and Clarke followed Abby into the kitchen.

“Do you think I could put some Ambien in her cake?” Abby sighed, leaning against the counter.

“I approve,” Clarke smiled, taking a finger of icing off the cake.

“She just…why does she have to be so…vile?” Abby said quietly, pieces of her façade slowly chipping away. For the first time, Clarke felt like her mom looked like a real person who had emotions. It was shocking in a way, to see that her mother had her own demons and that she wasn’t always prim and perfect.

“I don’t know mom,” she said finally, placing her hand against her mother’s arm. There was a glimmer of tears in Abby’s eyes and Clarke felt the air in the room shift. Her mother had never been vulnerable with her before…it felt weird. But it also felt like a turning point.

Abby gave Clarke a final look and turned, straightening her back and reaching out to perch the cake in her arms.

“I’m sorry if I ever made you feel the way that she makes me feel,” Abby said quietly, not meeting Clarke’s eyes as she took the cake and slipped back into the card room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and like where this story is going so far! If you have any suggestions or scenes from the show that you can think of fitting into this story, please let me know! Thank you so much for all your kind comments, useful feedback and for reading. This fandom never ceases to blow my mind with how kind and wonderful you all are. Love y'all :) 
> 
> P.S if anyone would be interested in giving feedback or beta reading this story please let me know! I would love to have a second set of eyes and someone to just proofread.
> 
> P.p.s because I’m old af and haven’t been active in a fandom since 2012. Do people still use tumblr? Would that be an easier was for me to communicate with y’all? Lmk, I’m genuinely curious.


	8. Implications

Madi rubbed her thumb against Jordan’s hand, she had been a little nervous about walking around town like this, but her heart fluttered at the feel of his fingers against hers.

The renaissance faire had just started to set up and they paused in front of the gazebo, watching as Maya taught her kindergarteners how to dance the Maypole. It was going badly, most of the ribbons were tangled and half the kids were screaming because their ribbon was too short to wrap around the pole.

They both laughed and were about to turn a corner toward the diner when Thelonious Jaha came up behind them.

“Ahhh Madi! I’ve been looking all over for you!” he greeted with a large, unsettling smile.

Madi’s brow furrowed at his overly cheery demeanor, “What do you need Mr. Jaha?”

“Well, since the faire is taking up the first week of November, we’ve had to cancel the beloved Pilgrim festival. But the food pantry still relies on us to collect donations for them during Thanksgiving! Soooo I was wondering if you would be willing to reprise your role as head pilgrim and run the food drive in the week leading up to the faire?” Thelonious asked dramatically, overemphasizing to really enhance the guilt.

“Mr. Jaha, I’m really busy with school I don’t-“ Madi began but Jaha quickly interrupted her.

“Madison, you’ve always been such a model citizen of this town! We really need your experience here.”

Madi sighed deeply, digging her elbow into Jordan’s side to deter his snickering. Being head pilgrim involved donning a long black dress, white apron and huge ridiculous bonnet. It was absolutely the most embarrassing thing she did all year and she didn’t really want to add more work to her plate. But…she didn’t really know how to say no. She had been a lot less present at town events since she had started at Hillside and it had made her sad, even in its ridiculous moments, she loved Polis.

“Alright fine, I’ll see you tomorrow Mr. Jaha,” she resigned, waving goodbye before Thelonious could respond and dragging Jordan to the diner.

“I’m sorry…did he say Pilgrim festival?” Jordan laughed, pulling her back so she was pressed up against his chest.

“It’s cute okay? There’s a giant corn cobb, we do a pilgrim dance and collect cans for the women’s shelter,” Madi answered, wrapping her arms around his torso and pressing her chin into his chest.

“This town is amazing,” he smiled, pressing a kiss into Madi’s forehead before letting go and continuing their walk.

XXX

“They’re sickeningly adorable,” Clarke sighed, slipping behind Bellamy to pour herself another cup of coffee as she watched Madi and Jordan through the picture window.

“Young love, it’s disgusting,” he agreed, while wordlessly removing the coffee pot from Clarke’s hands and gesturing for her to go back around the counter.

Clarke rolled her eyes but returned to her place on the stool and made grabby hands at Bellamy to hand her the mug.

“Do you have any more of those apple cider donuts?” she asked, smiling widely when he handed her the coffee.

“If I gave you a toy would you eat a salad? You’re going to get scurvy,” he sighed, retrieving a donut from the case.

“Depends on the kind of toy,” Clarke shrugged, taking a large bite out of the donut.

“Whatever toy you want.”

“Ohh dirty!”

Bellamy groaned at her bad joke, taking off his baseball cap and running his hands through his hair as Madi and Jordan barreled into the diner with red cheeks and broad smiles.

“Guess who’s going to be the head pilgrim?” Jordan teased, wiggling his eyebrows at Madi.

“She didn’t tell you that the hockey team does a Revolutionary War reenactment to kick off the food drive, did she?” Bellamy smirked, taking great pleasure when Jordan’s cheeks flushed a bright red as he gaped open mouthed at Bellamy.

“Welcome to Polis, if you leave here without an embarrassing stint in a lightly offensive costume, you aren’t really from here. It’s like friendly, hazing,” Clarke assured, reaching out to squeeze the boy’s shoulder.

“Well that’s comforting,” Jordan sighed, digging his hands into the pockets of his letterman jacket.

“You’re looking at the 2005 Polis Winter Carnival snowman and snowflake,” Clarke laughed, gesturing between herself and Madi. “I think I might still have pictures somewhere…”

“You’ll be a very cute Minute Man,” Madi interrupted, reaching out to loop her hands around his bicep as she glared at Clarke.

Clarke smiled at the two of them over her coffee cup, they really were cute together and Madi was practically glowing from all the attention.

“I invited Jordan to movie night tonight, is that alright?” Madi asked, stealing a bite of Clarke’s donut.

“It’s gonna be a full house,” Bellamy answered for Clarke, sliding a donut across the counter to Madi, “It’s the four of us, Raven, Wick and my sister and her fiancé.”

Clarke’s stomach flipped at the way he had referenced the four of them, it was becoming dangerously easy to lean into her new feelings for him. She had to get ahold of herself, Bellamy was generally oblivious but if she acted even a little coupley with him around their friends, she would be in trouble. Although, it wasn’t lost on her that the only non-couple in attendance for movie night would be her and Bellamy. Part of her was grateful because it meant they could sit next to each other on the couch without draw much attention.

“What’s the movie?” Jordan asked, looking between the three of them.

“Oh sweet summer child,” Clarke teased, “Half the fun of movie night is the hour of bickering that comes before it.”

“She’s only half kidding,” Madi sighed, tucking herself under Jordan’s arm. “Who’s turn is it to pick?” she asked.

“Wick picked last time and I am never watching another Fast and Furious movie again,” Bellamy groaned, rounding the counter to take an order from a new customer.

“God that was awful…” Clarke agreed, rolling her eyes as she remembered having to sit through three hours of car racing and explosions. “But not as bad as the time that we had to watch a docuseries on the Peloponnesian war,” she continued pointedly looking at Madi and raising her voice so Bellamy could hear her from a few tables over.

“Can you believe they changed the rotation after that so me and Bellamy couldn’t team up anymore?” Madi answered indignantly, turning toward Jordan.

“Are we talking about the time that nobody appreciated the amazing documentary we picked out?!” Bellamy asked, returning to his spot behind the counter.

“Yes! And how we have been unfairly treated by the new order. It’s so much harder to watch two parters when we have to see them three weeks apart!”

Jordan gave an amused chuckled and shared a look with Clarke as Bellamy and Madi chatted about a new biopic on Julius Caesar.

“What’s your favorite movie?” Clarke asked him, ignoring the conversation about Roman emperors completely.

“It’s cliché but I love ‘Remember the Titans’, it’s just so heartwarming,” Jordan replied.

Madi’s head snapped up as she turned toward her boyfriend and her mother, “I’ve made a grave mistake…I introduced a sports movie fan to this event,” she sighed, “I knew you were too good to be true.”

Jordan threw his hands up in surrender as they all dissolved into laughs. Madi was glad that her mom seemed to like Jordan, it confirmed to her that her feelings for him weren’t misplaced. Her mom generally had a good eye for people who were out to hurt her.

XXX

“Okay Clarke and Raven get to flip a coin because clearly nobody can remember whose turn it is,” Wick sighed, readjusting Raven in his lap so that he could fish in his pocket for a quarter.

“This is why we should’ve just left the rotation alone…” Madi added smugly, reaching toward the coffee table to retrieve a handful of pretzels from the giant mountain of snacks.

“Raven can just pick…we all know she’s either going to choose Star Wars or a Marvel movie and everyone will probably like it,” Clarke resigned, setting up cartons of Chinese on the table before squeezing onto the smaller couch next to Bellamy.

“Oh we love Star Wars,” Octavia cheered, taking a sip of white wine straight from the bottle. Lincoln nodded in agreement from his spot next to her and gently took the bottle from Octavia to pour himself a glass. Clarke stifled a laugh, something about a giant man sitting on her pink checkered couch and drinking out of a Betty Boop wine glass was hilarious.

“Okay but which Star Wars are we watching?” Wick sighed as he clicked the search bar and nine options popped up. There was a collective groan which was punctuated by the doorbell. Clarke moved to stand but Bellamy placed a hand on her knee and stood up to pay for the pizza. She smiled gratefully and crossed her legs under her as he walked away, a small smile playing on her lips.

“Just pick a random one! As long as Jar-Jar isn’t in it I don’t care…” Octavia sighed, lightly thudding her head against the back of the couch.

“It’s not random if you’re specifying no Jar-Jar!” Wick groaned, setting the remote down on the arm of the chair.

“Have you guys heard the theory that he was originally supposed to be the main villain but scrapped it because he was so fucking annoying?” Bellamy chimed in.

“Thank God they didn’t run with that one…” Jordan replied, scrunching his face in distaste.

“There has to be a better system than this,” Lincoln groaned, interrupting the rapidly derailing conversation, “Why don’t you all just write suggestions in a jar and pick random ones?”

“We tried that when Madi was a kid but it didn’t work because she just wrote Mary Poppins on all of her slips and we had to watch it 4 times in a row,” Clarke explained, lifting her knee when Bellamy returned to the room and then placing her leg back on top of his without really thinking.

Madi blushed a light pink and buried her face in Jordan’s shoulder at the mention of stupid things she had done when she was young. She had realized belatedly that inviting her new boyfriend to hang out with a group of people who had helped change her diapers had probably been a stupid plan. He had already been shown a picture of her in a snowflake costume and endured a story about the time she had tried to take a bath in Sprite. The boy was a saint because he had smiled and laughed through all of it. It was honestly impressive, even Bellamy seemed to be warming up to him slowly. She slowly untucked her head from his shoulder and stole a quick glance at him. She couldn’t help but feel lucky as she watched him tip his head back in a laugh over something that Wick said.

Wick finally made the executive decision to start the original trilogy after Raven and Lincoln began a debate over the love story of Kylo Ren and Rey that seemed like it was about to turn ugly. The room quieted pretty quickly as the credits began to roll and everyone reached out to help themselves to the giant pile of pizza, Chinese, candy, chips and fries.

“Do you ever get tired of eating turkey burgers?” Clarke asked, dipping a Cheez-it in peanut butter as Bellamy extracted his healthy dinner from a bag next to him.

“This is actually a veggie burger,” Bellamy teased, waving the sandwich in front of Clarke.

“Get that away from me, I’m developing a rash,” Clarke whispered dramatically, swatting the burger away with a gummy worm.

“When you lose a foot from diabetes don’t expect me to carry you.”

“Oh, you will…”

“Can you guys not talk for like five seconds? You do this every time,” Madi sighed, tilting her head back to glare at them.

Clarke nodded and turned her focus back to the movie, but she was keenly aware of where her knee was pressed up against Bellamy’s thigh and felt the back of her neck heat when his hand came to rest on top of her folded knee. Her leg was feeling a little tingly, but she wasn’t sure if it was from the contact or from sitting cross legged for a long period of time. Either way, she silently hoped the he wouldn’t move his hand away.

XXX

Clarke slowly tried to balance the popcorn bowl, the Cheetos bowl and two boxes of pizza on her arms, praying that she didn’t drop anything as she made her way to the kitchen.

“Octavia and Lincoln are a nice addition to movie night,” Clarke said, turning to Bellamy as she placed the bowls on the side of the sink.

“They seemed like they had fun,” he agreed, rinsing out wine glasses in the sink. “I’m less worried we scared them and more worried we scared poor Jordan. He was a good sport.”

“I see you’re coming around to him,” she smiled, turning on the kettle to make them both a cup of tea. “And based on how long Madi has been outside saying goodbye…he’s fine.”

“Ick, I don’t want to think about that at all…” Bellamy groaned, turning off the tap and moving to lean against the counter. He pulled out his phone and quickly read his messages while Clarke made them both cups of tea.

“Lincoln texted me to thank you for inviting him tonight, he said he had a good time,” Bellamy said, smiling at Clarke as she handed him a steaming mug and hopped up to sit on the counter, “I don’t want to get my hopes up, but I actually think that O might stay this time,” he murmured, staring at his mug.

“I do too…she asked me whether I thought the school could accommodate jewelry making lessons.”

“Seriously?!?”

“Yeah, honestly I think it’s a great idea. It would open us up to a new market too. Mommy and me jewelry classes, I mean come on.”

“I’m glad she found something that actually stuck…” he sighed, taking a long drink from his mug. “She’s had some crazy jobs. At one point she was a professional cat photographer.”

“That sounds ideal to me,” Clarke laughed, tilting her body to face him from where she sat perched up on the counter. His bangs had fallen into his face a little and she longed to reach out and brush them off his forehead. It was almost too easy to pretend that they were just chatting before going up to bed together. For a moment, she wished they were. The press of his leg against hers during the movie had been too much, it was all bubbling out at once. Before she could stop herself, she felt heat pooling between her legs and a familiar tug at the bottom of her stomach.

The heated look in Clarke’s expression caught Bellamy off guard as he met her eyes. Her pupils were wide, and her cheeks were a little flushed as she ran a hand through her hair. Carefully, he reached out and caught her hand as it untangled from her curls, lacing his fingers with hers. He watched as their fingers intertwined before bringing his gaze up to hers. The air felt thick, his frustration from earlier radiating in his veins.

Part of him had wanted so badly to pull her against him during the movie. She had been so close, and his willpower was wearing down, especially when she seemed to be touching him more than usual. A small glimmer of hope flitted in him as she untangled their hands and ran her fingers up his arm, trailing up his bicep. Not wanting to break the moment, he reached out to place a hand on her thigh before moving to stand in front of her.

It would be so easy for her to slide her hand up and cup his face, to pull him close to her and finally kiss him. She hadn’t realized how badly she had wanted this until now, her skin burned under his touch and she longed for him to step forward and close the distance between them. Not wanting to push her luck, she instead ran her hand through his hair, finally pushing it off his forehead. It was soft, reaching almost to the back of his neck and he groaned at the contact, tipping his head back to follow her touch. The sound went straight to her center, she was suddenly keenly aware of the seam of her jeans pressing against her…but not quite where she wanted it to.

She squirmed against the counter, pressing her palm to the back of his neck, almost urging him to come closer.

Just as his tongue darted out to wet his lips, the side door banged open and Madi burst into the kitchen. She was shivering from the cold and largely oblivious to whatever she had walked into as Bellamy and Clarke jumped apart.

“That was fun,” she said simply, turning her back to them while pouring herself a mug of tea.

Clarke and Bellamy shared a look, both not quite sure what had just happened.

Clarke felt dazed, she could still feel the burn of where he had touched her, but the moment was gone. She wasn’t even sure where it had come from in the first place. Based on Bellamy’s deep red flush and refusal to make eye contact with her, he probably regretted it. She sighed, it was probably for the best.

Unfortunately, that moment confirmed that she needed to come to terms with the fact that she had feelings for Bellamy. And his response indicated that she would also have to come to terms with the fact that they unrequited feelings. That moment had been fueled by tension, nothing more, he was making that pretty clear.

“I should go,” Bellamy finally said, still avoiding Clarke’s gaze as he shrugged on his jacket. He gave Madi a swift aborted wave before slipping out the backdoor.

“So, that was weird…” Madi said, carrying her mug over to the small kitchen table. “Bellamy always stays after movie night. I wanted to give him a book that I just finished.”

“He uh, probably had somewhere to be,” Clarke shrugged, shoving the pizza boxes into the trash just to give herself something to do.

Maid gave Clarke a long look but didn’t press the issue further, even though she clearly didn’t buy Clarke’s excuse.

XXX

The second that the door closed behind him, Bellamy broke into a sprint. He wasn’t really sure where he was running at first or even why he was running, he just knew that he needed to feel something. The chill of the November air burned the back of his throat, but it felt good, reminded him that he was alive. His head was spinning, whatever had happened in there, it had changed everything.

There had been moments before where he and Clarke had a glimmer of tension, but they were usually subtle and quick. Never anything like that. That had been, charged and full of potential. What would’ve happened if Madi hadn’t come in? He wished he had had the balls to lean in a moment sooner.

He finally stopped running once he reached the gazebo, sitting in one of the white benches in the center. As he caught his breath, his brain whirled with thoughts. He suddenly wondered whether Clarke had just gotten caught up in the moment. Had he made her uncomfortable? What if she never spoke to him again? The thought of mornings in the diner without Clarke caused a wave of panic to wash over him.

Quickly he pulled out his phone and called Octavia, who answered on the first ring. She sounded groggy, like she had been about to go to bed and he felt a pang of guilt before it was quickly taken over by his previous panic.

“I need you to meet me where we used to hide when we were kids,” he said quickly, pushing off the bench and speedwalking across town.

“What? Bell, its like 11:00. Is everything okay?” Octavia asked, voice laced with concern and confusion.

“Please O. I just-“

“Okay yeah I’ll be there in five,” she interrupted before he could finish his explanation. He sagged in relief, sliding his phone back into his pocket as he dipped behind the school and weaved through the small forest.

XXX

Octavia’s feet creaked against the old wooden bridge, knees clicking as she sat beside her brother in the middle, pushing her legs through the old wooden slats. Swans glided across the inky black water and she smiled as she rested her chin against the wooden bar.

“This place hasn’t changed one bit,” Octavia smiled, tilting her head to face her brother.

“They tried to tear it down a few years ago actually, I personally funded the repairs,” Bellamy explained.

“Aww Bell…” she smiled, reaching out to rub his back. “As sweet as this all is and as much as I love reliving our childhood, you really freaked me out earlier. What’s going on?”

“I almost kissed Clarke,” he blurted out, scrubbing a hand over his face.

“How do you almost kiss someone? Did you miss?"

“We were like ya know, building up to it and right before we were about to, Madi came back inside,” Bellamy explained, “But now we almost kissed but didn’t actually kiss and I don’t know what going on.”

“This is all so awkward,” Octavia sighed, shaking her head, “For two people who are this close and are so clearly into one another, it really shouldn’t be this hard.”

“That’s the thing, I’m not really sure if she actually likes me or if it was a heat of the moment thing.”

“Bell, she’s always touching you and calling you and making fun of you, which is granted a very easy thing to do, and randomly popping in to check on you and helping you do weird things like paint the diner in the middle of the night,” Octavia said with a hint of exasperation, “Now sure, one or two of those things could be just friendly behavior but ALL of them?!?”

“You’re being dramatic…” 

“Not really, your whole friendship is extremely weird. Like you don’t see it at all? You’ve never once considered that you two should just date because you’re practically dating anyway?”

“Seriously no. This whole vibe is really recent, like the past few months. Sure, she’s always been beautiful, but she used to just be a huge pain in my ass and then eventually we got to be friends. And you know I don’t have a lot of friends, so we ended up getting really close. I’m not really sure when all this shifted from platonic friend to me wanting to have her sit in my lap during a movie but here we are.”

Octavia sighed deeply, resting her forehead against the wood before fully turning to face her brother. He was so smart, he had truly taught her everything she knew but when it came to women he was incredibly stupid.

“I really wish you could’ve come to this conclusion on your own, but it doesn’t seem like you will,” she began, giving him a closed mouth smile, “You are in love with Clarke. I don’t know whether it started two weeks ago or if its been since the moment you met but it’s undeniable.Love like that is so rare. Loving someone who gets you, who loves being around you and who has somehow managed to crack your exterior, it’s a gift Bell. Don’t waste it, you owe it to yourself to at least try.”

Bellamy mulled her words over in his head, he never allowed himself to entertain the idea that he might be in love with Clarke. It was too crazy, too impossible. But was it really impossible? He wasn’t sure if he should feel ecstatic or sick as he considered the true implications of what Octavia had said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DUN DUN DUN…I promise you guys will get some action very soon but it is a *slow burn* after all!! I'm a little more comfy writing sex scenes now that I have a few under my belt so I'm on the fence about how steamy I want this to get (don't worry it'll be steamy either way but I want to gauge the level). Let me know what you think! I could possible swing it up to E but I don't want to turn people who enjoy the story off by making it too explicit. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter and that you are enjoying this fic so far! I'm really starting to get to the point where I love writing this so I hope you are loving it (or at least liking it too). 
> 
> Thank you so so much to everyone who has given me feedback or is simply just along for the ride. Your support means the world to me as a writer and I always love hearing what you like or don't like so I can adjust accordingly. Love y'all, see you with a new chapter very soon!! :) (also side note I upped the chapter count because I didn't intend for them to take this long to organically come together lol).


	9. Abby's day in the sun

“Moooommm!!!!” Madi called, bursting through the front door with her backpack slung across one shoulder.

Clarke jumped, running down the hallway while pulling up her pants. Madi was supposed to have left for school fifteen minutes ago, something had to be wrong if she was coming back.

“What?! Did you forget something? Are you okay?” Clarke asked, buttoning her jeans as she slid to a stop in front of her daughter.

“Blake’s is closed,” Madi said bluntly, dropping her backpack to the floor with a thud.

Clarke’s heart dropped to her feet. In the entire time she had lived in Polis, Blake’s had never been closed. Even when Bellamy went out of town, he usually left Murphy in charge. Something must really be wrong if he had taken his best friend and business partner with him.

“Shit,” Clarke swore, sitting heavily on the footstool in front of her. 

“Do you know what’s going on? I was worried, Bellamy never does stuff like this. Has the diner ever been closed before?” Madi continued, walking into the kitchen to flip on their ancient coffee maker. She was seemingly oblivious to Clarke’s obvious distress.

Clarke put her head in her hands. This was her fault, she made everything awkward and Bellamy ran away so that he wouldn’t have to see her. She felt sick and embarrassed. But under all her distress she also felt a small niggle of hurt and confusion. Sure, the near kiss had been a little weird, but Bellamy was supposed to be one of her best friends. Her heart sunk as she realized this might be the end of their friendship and the thought of it made her want to cry.

“Mom?” Madi was standing in next to her holding two steaming mugs, she set them both down on the table and knelt on the floor in front of her mom, “Are you okay?”

Clarke sighed deeply, trying to clear her head. She didn’t want to put all of this on Madi, but she wasn’t sure if she could brush it off without raising alarm bells. Her resolve was slowly wearing away and her dam broke when Madi put a gentle hand on her shoulder.

“I think this is my fault,” Clarke blurted out, tugging her hands through her knotted curls.

“What are you talking about?”

“Bellamy and I almost kissed on movie night and now he feels awkward and he ran away and he’s never going to talk to me again,” Clarke continued, words spilling out as panic began to overwhelm her sadness.

“How do you almost kiss someone? Did you miss?” Madi asked, brows knitting together as she stifled a laugh. 

“That’s the detail you choose to focus on?”

“I mean I’m not really surprised, you guys have seemed closer than usual lately,” she shrugged, reaching out to retrieve her mug and pressing the other one into Clarke’s hands.

“He’s not interested. He freaked out and literally ran out of the house right after and now he’s vanished for the first time in history,” Clarke sighed, taking a long drink from the mug and wincing at the bitter taste of their stale coffee. She couldn’t remember the last time that she made it at home.

“I think you need to take a minute and chill. Almost kissing, while extremely weird, is a huge step for you guys. He’s probably nervous too and we don’t know why he’s gone.”

“But obviously Bellamy being missing was concerning enough for you to come home and tell me,” Clarke sighed sadly before registering the implications of what she said. “Don’t you have school? You missed your bus!”

“I could play hooky? I’m ahead in most of my classes so it won’t be a big deal, Ginger can fill me in tomorrow. It’s been a while since we’ve had ourselves a day and it seems like you need it,” Madi suggested wiggling her eyebrows.

“As your mother I shouldn’t be condoning such behavior, but I do miss spending time with you. I concede,” Clarke smiled, “I need to change out of these pants though, I put them on thinking you were bleeding from your head.”

“I’m glad that if I were bleeding from the head you would take me to the hospital wearing MissMe bedazzled flare jeans with rhinestone crosses on the butt pockets,” Madi said wryly, moving to stand up and gesturing toward her uniform before exiting the room.

Clarke chugged her lukewarm coffee, jogging up the stairs to find her phone violently vibrating on her bed. A picture of Raven with two straws shoved up her nose filled the screen and Clarke sighed, she knew what this call was about.

“Before you ask, I have no idea where Bellamy went,” Clarke said, not waiting for Raven to even say hello. She propped the phone against her shoulder as she went about getting dressed.

“Shit. I thought for sure you would know! What the hell is going on? The Oldie Goldie Bakery is not equipped to handle all the runoff customers. I waited in line for one hour so that I could eat a waffle shaped like a cat,” Raven huffed, voice laced with both irritation and confusion.

“But it tasted better because it was shaped like a cat, right?” she asked cheekily, shrugging on a soft sweater.

“It was worth the twelve dollars that’s for sure,” Raven answered sarcastically, “I need Bellamy to come back ASAP, I’m already having egg sandwich withdrawals.”

“Ask Octavia, or Emori, I think Murphy went with him.”

“Yeah, I’ll ask Octavia when she comes into the school today, Lincoln is helping us with the hinging. Are you coming in later?”

“Madi and I are having ourselves a day, so I probably won’t be able to today. Plus, it’s Monday so I don’t teach. Do you guys mind? I’ll come in tomorrow to clear out some of the weeds.”

“Are you sure everything’s okay?”

“I’m totally fine,” Clarke lied, she normally felt like she could share stuff like this with Raven but her budding friendship with Octavia made her nervous. As much as Raven was a good friend, she also loved to meddle, and she would probably turn this Bellamy thing into an even bigger deal than it already was.

“I’ll keep you posted about what O says. Take care of yourself okay? You sound a little worn out,” Raven said before hanging up the phone.

Tying on an old pair of Converse, she headed back downstairs, dialing Hillside to mark Madi as absent on her way down.

XXX

“Is this cute on me?” Madi asked, twirling in a flowy yellow dress, dotted with small pink flowers.

“Very renaissance!” Clarke agreed, “Now do a jig!”

Madi rolled her eyes, dipping back into the dressing room as Clarke leaned against the back of the bench. Her own dress sat in a bag on the floor beside her. It was objectively beautiful, a soft pink satin with thin, wispy straps but the thought of the wedding made her feel sick. Bellamy would inevitably be back by then and having him ignore her would only make matters worse. She flipped open her phone and hovered over his contact before closing it again. Knowing him, he turned his stupid flip phone off. And besides, she didn’t know what to say anyway.

Madi emerged from the dressing room and they quickly paid for her dress before dipping back into the hustle of the mall.

“We need shoes,” Clarke declared, hooking her arm with Madi’s as they stepped onto the escalator.

“I love the fancy mall,” Madi sighed, leaning her head against Clarke’s arm.

Clarke rested, her cheek against her daughter’s head just as she caught sight of a familiar reddish blonde head on the opposite escalator. Before she could even react, a high pitched voice called, “Clarke! Madi!”

Clarke internally groaned as she turned to face her mother as they moved apart on the escalators. She gave a small wave as her mother gestured for them to get on the opposite escalator.

“I hate the fancy mall…” she sighed, as Madi turned them around and they got back on.

“What a surprise seeing you girls here!” Abby smiled widely, reaching out to wrap them both in a soft hug. The faint scent of perfume lingered in the air as they pulled away.

Clarke subtly rubbed a thumb against her temple, just to add a cherry on top of this terrible day, of course they had to run into her mother. Although it was a little strange that Abby wasn’t at work, it was a Monday morning. Clarke wasn’t sure that her mother had taken a day off in her entire life. She even used to take consulting calls during family vacations. For her to be shopping in the middle of the day was very…odd.

“Did you have the day off school?” Abby asked, placing an arm around Madi’s shoulders.

“I’ve been doing pretty well so we decided to have a girls day,” Madi answered, giving her grandma a wide smile, “Now it’s really a girls day!”

“Well isn’t that lovely.”

“Mom, did you take the day off?” Clarke interrupted, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes Clarke, work isn’t everything,” Abby said simply, leading them into the Valentino store.

Clarke paused in the glass doorway, momentarily stunned by her mother’s words. Never in her life had she heard her mother refer to work as unimportant. Surgery was Abby Griffin’s first and foremost love always. More than her father, more than Marcus and more than Clarke. Something was seriously wrong.

Abby slung a soft, white Valentino scarf around Madi’s shoulders and sighed, “This flatters your complexion beautifully and it’ll go wonderfully with your uniform.”

Madi shifted uncomfortably, trying to subtly shift the fabric so she could view the price tag without her grandmother noticing. She balked when she saw the four figure price and she tried to keep her surprise from showing when her grandma ordered the salesman to put aside two. One for everyday use and one for back up.

Before Madi could even respond, Abby strode further into the store to analyze a selection of handbags.

“Clarke this purse is perfect for you!” she exclaimed, holding up a stiff red purse.

“I ermm-“

“Don’t be silly, you have to have it,” Abby insisted, shoving the purse into the hands of the nearby salesgirl.

Madi gaped open mouthed as Abby selected tens of expensive items and purchased them with a wave of her hand.

“Don’t try to fight it, something wicked this way comes …” Clarke warned, steering Madi away from the gaggle of aloof salespeople tailing Abby.

“Looks like you’re not the only Griffin Girl who’s having a bad day,” Madi answered, giving her grandma a sad look.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU ONLY HAVE SIX OF THESE DECORATIVE KEYS? They’re supposed to come in a set of nine, everyone knows that,” Abby huffed, crossing her arms against her chest and lightly stomping her alligator leather loafer against the tile. “Put the scarves on my account and ship them, I’m done here,” she said unceremoniously, gliding out of the store and making a beeline for a large department store.

“I swear all these stores are quickly dropping in quality, it’s appalling,” Abby snapped.

“Mom, are you sure you’re okay?”

“Okay? Of course, I’m okay! Why wouldn’t I be okay? My mother in-law is moving into my home and my dear husband didn’t even have the decency to ask me what I think. Because clearly what I think doesn’t matter,” Abby snapped, browsing a selection of men’s loafers.

“Melanie is moving into the house?!” Clarke clarified, grabbing the shoe from her mother’s hands.

“And she’s shipping all her dishware from France because mine is tacky and outdated.”

“Mom that’s horrible…but what does buying out the entire stock of the store do to help this?”

“I don’t know but it’s what I want to do right now,” Abby said simply, turning on her heel and returning to her examination of the loafers.

Before Clarke could say anything else, an older, impeccably dressed man came up behind them and greeted Abby like an old friend.

“Cline, it’s wonderful to see you,” Abby greeted, lightly kissing both his cheeks, “I’m in need of a massive life overhaul.”

The man seemed to glow as he guided Abby into a lighter, more spacious area of the store and began to carry out garment bags by the armful.

“I cannot believe that man still works here…I swear he’s looked exactly the same since I was twelve,” Clarke marveled, sitting next to Madi on a plush leather couch. “He fit me for the shoes I wore to my first communion.”

The two girls watched as Abby tried on mountains of jackets, skirts and tailored pants. She dictated to Cline, which ones she wanted until she had collected an enormous pile of clothing on her personal hanging rack.

“Would you like these shipped?” Cline asked, holding Abby’s black credit card between his fingers.

“That would be excellent,” Abby smiled, reaching out to sign the receipt before giving Cline another light cheek kiss and gliding back out.

“Mom…seriously, enough shopping,” Clarke tried, eyeing the mountain of clothing being wrapped up.

“I’m an adult and I will shop as I people, there’s a new Chanel set that I’m dying to look at,” Abby snapped back.

“Well I’m hungry,” Madi added, trying desperately to cut the tension between the other two women. “Maybe we take a break?” she gave her grandma a soft smile.

“Food court time!?!” Clarke cheered, pumping a fist in the air.

“C’mon grandma, it’ll be fun,” Madi assured, hooking her elbow with Abby’s and guiding her to the food court as she sputtered about how they really should leave the mall to find a decent restaurant.

“Okay grandma, you can stake out a table. We’ll divide and conquer for food and meet you back. Make sure it’s a big one, we’re going to need a lot of room!” Madi explained, making a beeline toward the left side of the food court while Clarke moved toward the right.

Clarke and Madi returned to the table with armfuls of bags, as well as several drinks in cardboard holders. Abby had settled at a wide table and laid out paper napkins like a tablecloth to cover the surface. Clarke unceremoniously dumped a Noodles and Company bag in front of her mother before turning to carefully lift the Shake Shack holder out of its bag.

“Okay so we’ve got Shake Shack burgers and fries, pesto pasta, mac and cheese, some kind of fancy artisan pizza, a chipotle burrito, potstickers, Soba noodles, Coke, Sprite, Dr. Pepper and three different kinds of milkshakes,” Madi explained, stuffing a fry in her mouth as Abby took in the scene with horror.

Clarke shook her head and before her mother could say anything, loaded up a paper plate with a tasting of different things and handed it to Abby who was still stunned. “Chocolate, vanilla or peanut butter?” Clarke asked, gesturing to the shakes.

“I’ll take the chocolate,” Abby said, poking at her mac and cheese with a plastic knife.

They ate silently, only occasionally pausing for Madi to explain what a certain food is to Abby. They were wrapping up when Madi excused herself to go to the bathroom and Abby finally let a small piece of her mask fall off again.

“Mom…” Clarke said quietly, reaching out to place a hand on her elbow. “It’s okay to not be okay about the whole thing.”

“I just…don’t think I can handle it,” Abby admitted, finally looking up at Clarke.

“Have you explained to Marcus why this can’t happen? It’s always blown my mind that he’s never said anything to her about it.”

“Not everyone is disrespectful to their parents like you are,” Abby snapped, before registering Clarke’s shift in expression and sagging. She reached out to cover Clarke’s hand with her own, “I’m sorry, I’m stressed and I’m taking it out on you.”

Clarke was suddenly keenly aware of how tired her mother looked, and she felt a pang of sympathy for her.

“It’s your house mom. At the end of the day, decorum aside, you need to stand up for yourself. Etiquette has a place and a time, but take my word for it, there are much better ways to get your point across.”

Abby gave her a thoughtful look and Clarke could already see the gears turning in her head.

“I’ve been considering a separation,” Abby admitted, gaze fitting back down to her meal. Clarke audibly gasped in shock, choking on her sip of diet coke.

But before the conversation could go any further, Madi returned to the table and Abby’s façade snapped back on as she turned to make faux cheery conversation with her granddaughter.

It was a weird day, Clarke decided, drinking the last bit of her milkshake.

XXX

The wheels of Clarke’s Jeep crunched against the driveway as they pulled back into their house, backseat loaded with shopping bags full of things they would likely never need.

“Is there someone sitting on our steps?” Clarke asked, squinting at a scrunched figure on their porch.

“Um, I think that’s Ginger,” Madi answered, “The Porsche parked over there, kind of gives her away.”

“I’m going to the school, I’ve had enough with emotionally unstable rich people for the day,” Clarke sighed, sliding out of the passenger seat and turning toward the sidewalk, leaving Madi to slowly approach her friend.

“Oh, thank God you’re here!” Ginger exclaimed, springing up from her seat, “What going on here anyway? They’re setting up giant tents and there’s an old lady taking cookie orders from people waiting in an enormous line.”

“We’re having a renaissance faire and Bellamy, who owns the diner, went on vacation so the bakery is a little overwhelmed.”

“Everything you just said is completely ridiculous.”

“Yeah I’m aware. But are you aware that you’re sitting on my front porch right now?”

“You didn’t come to school today,” Ginger said matter of factly, turning to dig through her backpack. “I brought you notes.” She pulled out an enormous stack of color coded paper from a folder and held it out to Madi.

“I, Um-thank you,” Madi stammered, momentarily stunned by the gesture.

“I forgot how terrible it is to have to listen to Genevie and Cassidy all day without interruption,” Ginger continued, following Madi into the house.

“I missed you too buddy don’t worry,” Madi smiled, leading her friend into her room.

“I needed to talk to someone with half a brain for at least some portion of my day,” she explained, taking a seat on Madi’s bed.

“You’re welcome to hang out, but I have a shift as head pilgrim today. If you don’t mind wearing a bonnet and a white apron, we could always use the help,” she smiled, pulling her hair into a tight bun.

“Sounds like an anthropology assignment if I’ve ever seen one,” Ginger agreed, working to copy Madi’s hairstyle.

XXX

“Octavia said Bellamy went on a fishing trip,” Raven supplied, pulling a particularly stubborn weed from the grass.

“Hmmm,” Clarke replied, pulling a weed of her own. “I just wonder why he didn’t tell anybody…”

“I know, it’s really weird. Especially since we all literally saw him a few days ago. You sure he didn’t say something to you? I know you guys sit around in your kitchen and drink tea like old people after movie night.”

“I swear he didn’t!” Clarke huffed, kneeling to gently remove some dandelions from the lawn.

“Ugh, I know. I’m sorry, I’ve been pushing the Bellamy thing a lot lately. I’ll stop. It’s just that Octavia mentioned the vibe and it fueled my theory that you two belong together.”

“OCTAVIA MENTIONED WHAT?!” she exclaimed, whipping up from the kneeling position and wincing at the small twinge in her lower back from the quick movement.

“She kind of asked me if you and Bellamy were together and he was just hiding it from her. I told her no of course but I did kind of fuel my meddling.”

“There’s nothing going on right now, I can promise you that much,” Clarke sighed, gesturing for Raven to follow her back into the house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys as always for your kind words and feedback! Any advice and notes are always appreciated! Hope you guys enjoy this chapter, it's mainly filler to build up to the climax we're all waiting for, 
> 
> Love y'all :)


	10. Lumberjacks and a big ole F-U

Clarke stared at the giant lion headed knocker and took a deep breath, she had to do this, it was too late to back down now. It was truly shocking that her life had come to this, she thought, as she reached out to knock the giant brass knocker.

“Clarke!” Abby exclaimed, eyes wide as she took in her daughter standing in front of her. “What are you doing here? It’s a Wednesday evening.”

“I’m kidnapping you,” Clarke grinned widely, jingling her keys, “Go get your coat, we have to leave now.”

“Bu-but what?! What on earth is going on here? Where are we going,” Abby exclaimed, stepping back as Clarke nudged past her into the house and began unceremoniously digging through the closet by the door.

“A-ha!” Clarke cackled, pulling out a black wool coat and carrying it out of the house without a word.

“Come back here!” Abby yelled, shuffling after Clarke with her loafers smacking against the stone.

“If you want your coat back you’re going to have to follow it into the car, if you don’t then I’ll just have to take it back to my town and do dirty townie things in it,” she teased, dancing back and forth in the doorway before taking the coat back to her Jeep. 

With a groan, Abby planted her hands on her hips, “You are absolutely ridiculous.”

Clarke ignored her, turning the radio up to blare an extremely loud pop song.

“Fine, let me just get my purse and put on more acceptable footwear,” Abby resigned, turning to go back into the house.

Clarke grinned smugly to herself and crossed her arms waiting for her mother to return. This plan was insane and convoluted, she was honestly shocked that it had worked. But she wasn’t going to fight it, she had done the impossible, gotten Abby Griffin to change her schedule.

“This better be worth it,” Abby huffed, sliding into the car and taking her jacket from Clarke.

“Trust me it will be,” Clarke assured as she turned the music down and peeled out of the driveway.

Their conversation at the mall had left a pit in Clarke’s stomach, as much as she hated to admit it, seeing Abby Griffin knocked down was a truly depressing sight. It was grossly out of character for her mother to back down and show her weaknesses. Just thinking about Melanie Kane, made Clarke’s blood boil. Nobody got to antagonize her mother like that…except her.

She couldn’t quite place what exactly had led to this streak of meekness in Abby, but she knew the way to get her out of it. All Abby needed to do was channel the terrifyingly aggressive, accomplished, Chief of Surgery that she was and knock Marcus and his mother down a few pegs.

The Jeep pulled to a halt and Abby balked as Clarke hopped out and gestured for her to follow.

“Ax throwing?! Really?” she squeaked, following her daughter into the rustic building. The thud of axes hitting the wall filled the air and Abby paused in fascination and horror as she watched a man throw two axes at once and squarely hit the target.

Clarke dipped ahead to check into a lane and purchase a pitcher of beer. She wasn’t sure if she had ever seen her mother drink something so uncouth but now was as good as a time as any. Plus, this didn’t exactly seem like the kind of place to stock Chardonnay.

With waivers signed and a small table carefully balancing a pitcher and two large, frosted glasses, a burly man stepped into their booth to demonstrate how to throw an axe.

Abby flinched as the axe hit the wall and the man smiled before picking it up and handing it to her, “it’s a lot easier than it looks,” he shrugged, leaving them alone once more.

“Why did you bring me here?” Abby asked, carefully setting the axe down on the floor and eyeing the beer as if it had committed a heinous crime.

“Because the woman who raised me would never let someone treat her the way that Melanie Kane treats you. This is an opportunity for you to remember how terrifying you actually are. Let it all out mom, all the frustrations you have over her bitchy comments and stupid cutlery,” Clarke grinned, picking up the axe and turning to throw it as hard as she could against the wall. It significantly missed the mark, but throwing it felt good. With Abby’s life crisis sitting at the front of her mind, she had let her frustration at the situation with Bellamy slip to the wayside. But when she had let go of the axe, all of her hurt came flooding back. 

Cheeks flushed, Clarke extracted the axe and handed it to her mother before taking a long sip of her beer.

“C’mon mom, you can rewire a brain…this is nothing.”

Abby turned and gave her daughter an exasperated look before squaring her shoulders and giving the axe a strong throw. It flew out of her hand and landed squarely in the bullseye of the target. Abby turned with a wide smile, looking down at the axe.

“That felt good.”

Clarke pressed a beer into her mother’s hand and watched her take an uneasy sip before returning to retrieve the axe. They went back and fourth, like that for almost an hour, taking turns throwing and sipping on their beers. It was nice, Clarke wasn’t sure she had ever enjoyed spending time with her mother like this. She had suggested the axe throwing to help her mom find her footing, but it was surprising therapeutic for her as well. The situation with Bellamy had been eating away at her, it had been almost three days and he still wasn’t back. Over the span of the past few days, her emotions had fluctuated from hurt to anger to frustration and all this physical exertion was bringing them back in a wave.

“Do you really think of me as terrifying?” Abby asked quietly as they left the axe throwing area and moved into a booth.

“I mean yeah but it’s not a bad thing. It’s just how you are, you command respect,” Clarke shrugged, flipping over the thin paper menu. “It’s why this whole mother in-law thing really threw me off.”

“I don’t know what it is about her that makes me so unhinged. I never feel like I can do anything correctly around her.”

“She’s a bitch mom. You’re allowed to stand up for yourself, some of the things she’s asking of you are completely out of control.”

There was a long pause as Abby looked down at her menu, refusing to meet Clarke’s eyes. “I…I don’t know if I can take being alone. I know I’m accomplished and “terrifying” but I’ve never been by myself before,” she admitted quietly thumbing the folded corner.

“Mom…” Clarke reached out, placing her hand over her mother’s.

“Sometimes I wish I could be more like you,” Abby admitted, and Clarke’s eyebrows shot up to her hairline. That was a phrase she had never thought she would hear her mother utter. “I’m serious. You’re so independent, you always have been. As much as it hurt to lose you, the fact that you did everything by yourself is truly commendable,” she continued, looking up to meet her eyes.

Clarke stared back into eyes that resembled her own so closely and for the first time in her life, she felt guilty for leaving home. Her mom gave her a soft, unsure smile and Clarke threaded their fingers together. “I love my life, but I’m sorry. It was what I needed at the time, but I know it caused a lot of hurt. For what it’s worth, I have my moments too. Being alone isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be…”

“Is this about that diner fellow?”

Clarke laughed but it was tinged with all her built up frustrations, “Yeah.”

“He likes you, that much is clear. And you like him. What’s the problem?”

“The problem is that he doesn’t actually seem to like me,” Clarke sighed, clenching her jaw to keep herself from reacting too strongly.

“Well then screw him! You can do so much better anyway. I know a few very handsome men from the club that you can parade around that town and rub in his face,” Abby snapped, brows furrowing. “In fact, there may even be one who owns a rather high end restaurant.”

“See! Now where is that reaction when Melanie tells you that great aunt Louise’s china teacups are gaudy?!” Clarke exclaimed, trying to deflect the conversation away from her love life before her mother got any ideas.

“I’m just worried about how much worse she’ll get if I provoke her.”

“Can it get any worse than her living down the hallway from you until the day she dies?!”

“Marcus is digging his heels in!”

“Then he’s spineless…” Clarke fumed, crossing her arms against her chest. She was getting riled up, partly on her mother’s behalf and partly on her own. “We are Griffin women, nobody puts us in a corner,” she exclaimed, sliding out of the booth and making her way back to the axe throwing counter. She was possibly a little drunk from all the beer.

Wordlessly, she purchased thirty more minutes in the booth and handed the bright red axe back to her mother before marching back to the target.

“When was the last time that you let someone boss you around?” Clarke asked, egging her mother on an she squared up to throw the axe.

“Never!” Abby grunted, throwing the axe as hard as she could and grinning as it once again hit the bullseye.

“That’s right mom,” Clarke cheered as her mom picked up the axe and squared up to throw it again.

“Fuck Melanie Kane,” she said as she threw with a terrifying amount of force.

“Hell yeah!”

“Yell, ‘Fuck you’ about the diner fellow, it’ll make you feel better,” Abby urged, handing the axe back to her.

Clarke laughed as she centered herself and raised the wooden handle over her head as she yelled, “Fuck you Bellamy!” and threw the axe as hard as she could. Her throw landed so far to the left that it almost hit the wall and she sighed, “You were right, that felt good.”

XXX

The Uber pulled up onto the driveway of the Griffin house and Abby stumbled out, teetering toward the large ornate door. Decidedly, the second pitcher of beer was not their best decision, but it had felt right in the moment. Tonight had surprised Clarke, what had started as an attempt to snap her mom back to reality, turned into the best bonding experience they ever had.

The car began to move again, and Clarke closed her eyes, tipping her head back against the seat. The emotional release from throwing the axes had felt unbelievably good, but it was exhausting. She hadn’t realized how much Bellamy’s absence had been weighing on her until she had started saying it all out loud. After speaking with her mother, Clarke’s feelings had shifted away from hurt and moved closer to indignance. Bellamy was being ridiculous. They hadn’t even kissed. Leaving town with no notice and trying to end their friendship over an almost kiss was insane and irrational.

Frustration bubbled under her skin as they passed the “Welcome to Polis” sign and turned into the town square. They were two blocks away from Clarke’s house when she spotted a figure carrying a garbage bag from Blake’s out into the alley.

“Pedro, I’m going to need you to let me out here,” Clarke said suddenly, wincing as the driver slammed the brakes.

“Are you sure? We’re pretty close to your house…” he answered wearily, turning in his seat to face her.

“I’m sure. There’s something I need to take care of,” she replied firmly, sliding out of the car and waving to Pedro as he sped away.

Before she lost her nerve, she jogged toward the diner.

Sure enough, just as she reached the sidewalk, Bellamy emerged from around the corner. He was looking down and jumped when Clarke cleared her throat. At the sight of her, his eyes went wide, and his cheeks flushed a light pink.

“I-I-umm,” he stammered, reaching out and then putting his arms back down awkwardly as he gaped at her.

“No,” she said firmly, planting her hands on her hips. “I’m going to talk because I’m tired of sitting here and waiting for you to come back.”

“Clarke, I ca-“ He began, before cutting himself off at the glare she gave him

“We’re supposed to be best friends Bellamy, just because we almost kissed and you feel awkward about it doesn’t mean you get to just run away and leave me here wondering whether you’re ever going to speak to me again,” Clarke huffed, voice cracking at the end of her sentence as her anger began to ebb away at the sight of him. “I’m sorry that almost kissing me was so horrifying that you had to close the diner and throw the town into a frenzy but you owe me the decency of rejecting me to my face.”

“You’ve got this all wrong,” Bellamy sighed, scrubbing his hand against his face.

“Explain to me what I’ve got wrong here…”

Bellamy began to respond, stepping forward to touch her shoulder when a loud bang sounded from a window overhead and a shrill, female voice began scolding, “It is eleven thirty at night! Why are you screaming in the street in the middle of the night?!”

“Sorry Mrs. Lewis,” Bellamy yelled up, apologizing to his elderly neighbor.

“Don’t apologize! Just shut the hell up!” she screamed, slamming the window closed as she turned around.

Bellamy wordlessly pointed his thumb toward the diner and followed Clarke as she stepped inside. In the light, he could see her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were glimmering with tears. His chest tightened, he had fucked everything up and hurt her in the process.

“It’s not what you think. I mean, I did run away but it was all me. I needed to figure some stuff out.”

“C’mon Bell, I’m not stupid,” Clarke sighed, leaning against the counter.

Bellamy ran his hands through his hair before reaching down to nervously fiddle with the top button of his plaid shirt. Panic rose in his throat as he debated internally what to do. This wasn’t how he wanted this to happen. He needed more time, he was supposed to have more time. She had it all wrong and now she was upset.

He sighed, moving to face Clarke. He had to come clean, even if it was embarrassing. He couldn’t let her think that he didn’t want this.

“I went to a self-help seminar and dragged Murphy with me,” he admitted, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

“I’m sorry, what?!”

“It was called ‘The Power of Me’, Octavia recommended it.”

Clarke sat heavily on a stool, furrowing her brow at the man in front of her, “I’m lost. Why did you just vanish? Why didn’t you tell anyone?” she admitted finally.

“Because it’s embarrassing Clarke! I’m terrible with relationships. Of course I like you, how could I not like you?! You are everything I’ve ever wanted! But every romantic relationship I’ve been in has exploded in my face and I couldn’t let that happen again. Not with you. I can’t lose you like that.”

Clarke’s breath momentarily caught in her chest, she felt as if she had been kicked. Had Bellamy just admitted that he liked her?

“I didn’t know what that kiss was either! For all I knew, you never wanted to see me again. But just in case this was going to work out, I needed some help.”

Bellamy flopped heavily back onto the stool beside her, his chest was heaving, and his hair was sticking up at odd angles. A rush of fondness washed over Clarke as her anger ebbed away and without really thinking, she stood to stand between his legs, reaching out to flatten his hair.

“You’re the best person I know. You stand up for me, you take care of my daughter, you love your sister more than anything in the world, you are selfless beyond belief, make the best cup of coffee I’ve ever had and you somehow manage to make the whole plaid button down thing work for you. You don’t need to change anything,” she whispered, reaching out to gently place a hand against his cheek. Bellamy closed his eyes, softy pressing his cheek to her palm.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured, covering her hand with his own.

“So what did you learn at this conference?” she whispered, the air between them growing heavy as their fingers joined fingers dropped from his cheek.

“A lot of power posing and discovering my inner peace,” he teased, rubbing his thumb against the back of her hand. “But we did do this exercise. They asked us to picture the person we wanted to tell most when we got good or bad news, the person you always want to come home to. And it’s strange because my first instinct was to say Octavia, but the more I thought about it…it’s you.”

She unwound their fingers so she could carefully place her hands on his shoulders, teasing the soft hairs at the back of his neck. Her heart felt like it might beat out of her chest as his words sunk in. He cared about her too, he wanted this, he felt the connection. It felt surreal, almost impossible. Things never worked out this nicely for her, it felt too good to be true.

“You’re my person too…” she finally said, moving imperceptibly closer. “Not having you around for the past few days, it felt like I was missing a limb.”

Bellamy’s grin spread so wide that his whole face seemed to glow. She couldn’t take it anymore, the tension had been growing for so long, it was too good, too sweet. Lacing her fingers in the curls at the nape of his neck, she surged forward pressing her lips against his.

He was momentarily stiff, clearly thrown off guard by her sudden movement but it only took a few seconds before his hands wrapped around her waist and he pulled her tighter against his body.

Clarke groaned at the contact, sliding her hands down his arms and squeezing the firm muscle. She couldn’t believe this was actually happening. The slide of his lips against hers was heavenly, it was even better than she had imagined. The kiss was soft but laced with promise, growing in intensity as her tongue darted out to press against the seam of his lips.

The kiss deepened and he pulled her impossibly close, ensuring every inch of her body was pressed against his. It was too much and not enough all at once and it was making Bellamy’s head spin.

They stood like that for what felt like hours and minutes all at once, reveling in the feel of one another.

“Oh my god…” he groaned, pulling back to mouth against her neck. Clarke moaned loudly in response, tipping her head to the side to allow him better access. The sound went straight to his dick and he slid his hand from her waist down to cup her ass, flexing his fingers against the rough pocket of her jeans.

She needed to be closer, the press of his fingers against her ass was too much. The seam of her jeans was pressing against her center at just the wrong angle and she needed to feel him. Despite the odd position, she hitched her leg up against his hip, urging him to touch her where she needed it most. At her movement, Bellamy moaned, lifting her up and spinning them around so she was perched up on the counter. It was the perfect position for their hips to buck together and it was delicious. Clarke was never going to be able to look at the counter the same way again.

“This is incredible,” she sighed, as he pulled away to peck at her lips.

He nodded in agreement, burying his face in the crook of her neck as he ran his hands up and down her back. He wanted more, wanted to scoop her up and carry upstairs and show her how much he loved her. But he couldn’t do it. Not yet. This had been building for too long, there was too much at stake.

Bellamy pulled back, pressing a kiss to her forehead, each of her cheeks, her nose and finally her lips. “We need to do this right,” he said finally, collecting all of his willpower to step out from the cradle of her legs. “Let me take you on a date.”

Clarke’s whole body tingled, she could still feel the press of his body against hers but beneath her arousal, she felt s flush of fondness. She had never seen this side of Bellamy before and it was beyond endearing.

“I would like that,” she grinned, reaching to tuck a blonde curl behind her ear.

It was official, after fourteen years, they were going on a date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EPPP!! Hope you enjoyed this one ;) 
> 
> We've got some fun times coming our way but don't think the slowness of our little slow burn is quite done yet. 
> 
> Love y'all so much, thank you for your continued support, encouragement, kudos   
(honorary kudos) and love. I do this because I love it and I know it means something to other people, thank you all for affirming that for me! 
> 
> Can't wait to see where this road takes us, we're officially at the fun part of the story (aka the LOVE train).


	11. The Wedding

Madi wrapped her coat more tightly around her body as she dodged a man in a jester costume carrying a large scroll through the middle of town. The renaissance faire was in full swing and the town was busting at the seams. The faire had brought in tourists from all the surrounding areas, Polis had never had so many visitors. Thelonious was glowing from all the patrons to the local business, but it had been deeply inconvenient for people trying to go about their daily lives.

“There’s no line at Blake’s today!” Madi cheered, excitedly tugging on her mother’s arm.

“That’s uhh awesome,” Clarke mumbled, tearing her gaze away from a man who was swallowing swords.

“Are you okay? I figured you would be more excited. I don’t know about you, but I’ve reached my limit on ooegy gooey butter cookies from Oldie Goldie.”

“Yeah…it’s great,” Clarke shrugged, catching sight of Bellamy in the giant window.

“Why are you being weird?” Madi frowned, grabbing Clarke’s elbow to halt their path.

“I was trying to think of a good time to tell you…but I think I’m dating Bellamy,” Clarke admitted, taking in Madi’s shocked expression.

“Seriously! Oh my gosh! This is amazing, like I’m so happy!!” Madi squealed, jumping up and down. But she paused her excitement when she noticed that Clarke was notably silent and radiating a stressed out energy. “Why aren’t you acting happy?”

“I mean I was at first, after we kissed I was thrilled but then I started thinking about it and then I started panicking. Like what if this doesn’t work out? He owns the only place I regularly eat! And this town is so small, people would probably start taking sides and it would turn into a town wide feud. There would probably be a town meeting about us and-“

“You kissed?!”

“Uh yeah, a few days ago but then the faire started and we’ve both just been so busy!”

“So you’re getting really worked up about the end of a relationship that hasn’t even started? This is good, you and Bellamy are best friends. You’re supposed to be together!”

Clarke took a deep breath and turned toward her daughter, “I don’t know when you got so grown up,” she sighed, pulling Madi into a tight hug. “I know I’m being crazy, but I don’t know how to act. Like am I supposed to be flirty?”

“Just be normal, if you try to be flirty it’s going to come off weird. Anytime you try to be smooth you end up talking really loudly and knocking things over,” Madi sighed, squeezing back before pulling Clarke toward the door. “I’m starving, I need a burger…we can’t stand outside like this anymore.”

Clarke pouted but let Madi drag her into the diner, her heart was beating so loudly that she could barely hear the clatter of plates around her. She hadn’t seen Bellamy since their kiss and the sight of him made her skin feel hot as all the blood in her body rushed to her cheeks.

Bellamy gave them both a wide grin and came around behind the counter to greet them.

“Hey there!” he said cheerfully, causing some heads to turn at his uncharacteristically sunny demeanor.

“Heyyy! How’s it going? We were just Jonesing for some coffee. The usual, ya know. Jonesing is a funny word isn’t it? I wonder if one day a guy named Jones just really wanted something and that’s where the phrase stems from. It just seems random, right?” Clarke babbled, wringing her hands against each other.

“Uhh yeah, it is kind of a funny word…” Bellamy answered, smile widening to the point where it was beginning to look unnatural. There were a few moments of awkward silence where they both stared at each other before he finally pointed toward the coffee machine. But, since he hadn’t pulled his gaze from Clarke when he turned, he tripped lightly over a pulled out chair.

The chair fell with an unceremonious thud as Bellamy flushed a bright red and Clarke lunged to pick it back up. At this point the entire diner was staring at them and Madi rolled her eyes, resting her chin in her hands as she watched Bellamy and Clarke sputter at each other before he finally raced back into the kitchen.

“That was quite the display…” she teased as Clarke sunk back into her chair.

Clarke sighed and folded her elbows across the table, resting her head against her forearms. “Everyone is looking at us…”

“Because you’re both acting like you’re on drugs. Let’s just talk about something else,” Madi encouraged, pulling Clarke’s arm out from under her.

“I’m doing Octavia’s final fitting today. Do you want to join?”

“Jordan actually offered to help me paint the guesthouse, so I think we’re going to head over to the school.”

“Well isn’t that just the sweetest?”

“He’s the best,” Madi smiled softly, a light glimmer in her eyes. “She’s going to love the dress though.”

“I think it turned out pretty well, she’s bringing the jewelry she made for it today too. I just hope it’s what she imagined.”

Bellamy silently delivered their coffees and burgers; ears still tinged a little pink before he quickly turned and dipped into the back.

XXX

Clarke pinned the final few pieces of the dress on the mannequin, it had come together pretty nicely. She sat back on her knees, examining her handiwork as a soft knock sounded against the door and it carefully creaked open. Octavia stepped nervously into the living room with a large paper bag in one hand and a small case in the other.

“Sorry to just barge in but my arms are about to give out,” Octavia said, gently placing the items in her arms on the coffee table.

“Well I was going to make this a bigger reveal, but…” Clarke smiled, turning the mannequin to face her.

Octavia gasped and she stepped forward to run her hand against the soft fabric. “This is…it’s…it’s more beautiful than I could have imagined.”

“Would you like to try it on? I made it to your measurements but I’m sure we’ll need to make some adjustments,” Clarke continued, standing to carefully unlace the dress from it’s spot and pulling it so it piled into her arms.

Octavia nodded and quickly shed her outfit to step into the dress. While Octavia was changing, Clarke dipped into Madi’s bedroom to grab a full length mirror.

When Clarke returned, Octavia had stepped into the gown and was attempting to clasp the long set of buttons down the back herself.

“Here, let me help,” Clarke stepped forward, laced the ties expertly, closed the final button and gently pressed her hands against Octavia’s shoulders, turning her to face the mirror.

At the sight of herself in the mirror, Octavia let out a choked sob as she ran her hands up and down the stitching.

“I wish she could’ve seen this. It’s absolutely perfect,” she said finally, a single tear running down her cheek.

“Your mom?” Clarke asked gently, holding out a Kleenex.

“Yes, her and…Indra too,” Octavia admitted, gaze straying toward the overstuffed armchair in the corner of the room.

For a moment Clarke felt like her breath had been knocked out of her chest, “Indra?”

“I know you were close to her too…after my mom died, she took me under her wing. She’s the one who taught me how to bead. I used to have panic attacks and she showed me as a way to calm me down, something to do with my hands,” Octavia sighed, sinking to her knees with her dress pooling around her.

The realization hit her like a truck, Octavia had left Polis only a few months before Clarke had come to town. Suddenly, Indra’s concern and refusal to allow her to leave, it all made sense. She had seen Octavia in Clarke and had wanted to give her a home, to save her.

“She wrote me a few times, mentioned you and Madi and that Bellamy had taken a liking to you. I never really thought I would come back here, and she would be gone but I would have you as a friend instead.”

“I-I had no idea,” Clarke murmured, sinking to sit beside Octavia. Her head was spinning, this felt like a huge revelation. Part of her felt like she should be jealous, but she couldn’t deny that this was a connection between them. They had both been loved by an incredible, strong woman.

“I loved my mom, but she didn’t always get me. Indra helped me figure out who I really was.”

“Strangely…we have that in common,” Clarke marveled, reaching out to squeeze Octavia’s shoulder. “She was an amazing person, taught me almost everything I know about being a good mom.”

“She was something special, the world is a worse place without her,” Octavia agreed, covering Clarke’s hand with her own. “Weddings have a way of making you acutely aware of the people who can’t be there.”

Octavia began to cry quietly, and Clarke gently rubbed her arm, giving her a moment to truly feel her emotions.

Wiping her eyes, Octavia reached out to dig into the brown paper bag. She pulled out a baby pink dress, it was small, probably made for a young girl.

“My mom sewed this for me for my very first homecoming dance. She got too sick to finish it before she died so Indra did the rest. Could you sew a small piece of it into the inside of the bodice? It’s the best way I could think of to have them both with me.”

“That’s a beautiful idea,” Clarke smiled softly, holding out a hand to help Octavia stand up.

Together, the two women cut out a little pink heart and sewed it into the inside of the bodice of the dress, bonding over a mother figure they had both loved and their own complicated relationships with their mothers.

By the time the sun started to fade away and Madi turned her key into the lock, Clarke and Octavia were sitting on the floor sharing a bottle of wine. The stereo was turned on full volume and they were flipping through music to make a playlist for the reception.

XXX

“Someone should make a documentary about this town…” Ginger said, as she eyed two grown men fighting over who can eat a giant turkey leg faster.

“You wore the pilgrim costume, you can’t ridicule anymore, you’re one of us,” Madi teased, plucking a flower crown off a stall and unceremoniously placed it on Ginger’s head.

“Yeah, yeah…it was for charity,” Ginger smiled, adjusting the crown so it rested on top of her brown curls.

“I appreciate you coming, Octavia doesn’t know a lot of people in town, so her bachelorette party is going to be pretty small.”

“I’ve never been to a bachelorette party before! My sister eloped so I didn’t even get to be a bridesmaid,” Ginger shrugged, making a beeline for a stand selling apple cider.

Madi’s brow furrowed, Ginger’s home life never ceased to confuse her but based on the way she talked about it, it was better not to ask.

The two girls hopped around the faire, pausing at the booth where Lincoln was grinding a sword against a fiery spinning stone. As the crowd gasped at the flames, Madi spotted Clarke from across the town square.

Grabbing Ginger’s arm, they weaved through the booths before stopping beside Clarke outside the bakery.

“I cannot believe that you’re still avoiding Blake’s…” Madi sighed, plucking the coffee cup from her mom’s hand and taking a sip. “Although admittedly this is delicious.”

“It’s a cinnamon, caramel, oat milk latte,” Clarke answered, taking the cup back, “And I’m not avoiding Blake’s, this was just on my way!”

“Mhmm sure, you coward,” Madi teased, turning to Ginger, “Mom and Bellamy kissed and now she’s scared their relationship so she’s avoiding him.”

“Your relationship is very odd,” Ginger marveled, looking between them, “My mother still wants me to believe that I was delivered by the stork.”

Madi and Clarke shared a look, silently coming to the conclusion that the comment was best ignored.

“I got feather boas, fun sunglasses, a bunch of white wine, some ICEs and a bunch of snacks!” Clarke explained digging into the bags in her hand. “Raven went to TonDC to get some penis necklaces, a sash, leis, light up penis rings and a crown.”

“Just to clarify, a penis ring is a ring that goes on your finger shaped like a penis?” Ginger asked, brows knit together tightly.

“That would be correct, however, we can acquire a ring that goes on a penis if that’s something you would prefer,” Madi giggled, taking some of the bags from Clarke’s arms as Ginger laughed nervously. “What’s next in our game plan?!”

“Set everything up at the garage and order all the food before everyone gets there,” Clarke explained, already making her way toward the garage.

They made quick work of setting up the garage before Raven burst in with an enormous bag stuffed to the brim with party supplies.

“You would be shocked at the amount of penis paraphernalia there is out there…” Raven sighed, setting the bag on the table with a thud.

“Excellent, only the very best for our very first bachelorette party!”

“At the rate Clarke is going, Madi will probably be the next one,” Raven teased, bumping her hip against Clarke’s as she went to hang up a banner.

Madi shot Clarke an amused look as she blushed a deep red and quickly turned to dump pretzels and cheese puffs into a gigantic bowl.

By the time the light dipped down and the Christmas lights lining the door began to light up, the garage had been transformed into an almost impressive sight.

Just as Clarke found a good party playlist, Octavia and Maya burst through the doors, cheering loudly.

All the women broke into cheers as they graced Octavia with a sash, light up crown, flashing necklace, lei and of course, five penis rings.

“We have lots of snacks, lots of alcohol and lots of drinks!” Clarke grinned, wrapping Octavia in a one arm hug as she pressed a can of beer into her hand.

The women made quick work of digging into the snacks, pouring themselves drinks and jumping up and down to the music. But as the night wore on, the party quickly began to drag. Turns out that six people who didn’t know each other super well and who are mainly sober, don’t make for a great party.

“Do we have anything else on deck?” Madi sighed, slumping against the wall.

“Not really…we could try The Grounder?” Harper answered, chugging the last of her beer. “Jasper is working tonight so we can basically do whatever we want!”

“Anything is better than just sitting here,” Clarke agreed, shrugging on her coat and adjusting her glow stick crown. “Onward march ladies.”

Gathering their things, they began making their way through town, past Blake’s, all the way to the edge of the city. Grounder’s was the local bar, it wasn’t exactly a club, but they served alcohol and were relaxed on age limits.

The lights were dim, and the floor was sticky, but the place was relatively empty expect for Jasper who was manning the bar and a few of the older men who worked on the nearby construction site.

Clarke slid into a large booth in the corner, wincing as her legs stuck to the sticky vinyl seats.

“God, has anything in this town changed?” Octavia sighed, sinking into the seat, “I had my very first beer in this place and I think I can see the ring of it on this table.”

“I’m 99% sure that ‘Rave+Wick 4ever’ is carved into the bottom of that table over there,” Raven smiled, setting down a tray of shots in front of Octavia and sliding cokes toward Madi and Ginger.

“You’re incredibly lucky that you found the love of your life when you were twelve,” Octavia agreed, knocking back the tequila shot without chaser. “Being with Lincoln has made me wonder how I spent so much of my life without him.”

An odd pang resounded in Clarke’s chest at Octavia’s words. What if Bellamy was the love of her life? Was she wasting time, ignoring him and hiding? 

The crash of the bar door interrupted Clarke’s musings and she reached out to knock back her shot as six of the largest men she had ever seen barreled through the door. Octavia let out a screech and jumped out of the booth running into Lincoln’s arms.

Belatedly, Clarke saw Bellamy in the crowd. He blended in well with the large, muscled men but the plaid shirt was unmistakable.

He smiled softly at her, moving to slide into the now empty booth beside her. The press of his leg against hers set her heart on fire and she sucked in a long breath, counting to three before she turned to face him.

“Fancy seeing you here,” he murmured softly, tucking a curl behind her ear.

“The party scene in Polis is the best in the country,” she smiled, folding her leg underneath her body to fully face him.

“The bride and groom seem happy, so all’s well that ends well.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Clarke answered, pushing a shot glass toward him before downing her own.

He tipped his glass toward hers and winced at the sting on the liquid as it went down.

“I have a huge bruise on my leg by the way.”

“Yeah that was pretty bad…”

“It’ll get better,” he assured, reaching out to place a hand over her knee.

“There’s no playbook for dating your best friend.”

“We’re just going to have to make one then,” he smiled, tilting his chin to meet her gaze. They shared a long look, letting the weight of the contact sink in. The alcohol and the feel of his hand on her skin, pooled warmth in her stomach. “So, I’ll see you at the wedding?” Bellamy continued, voice tinging with nervousness.

“I’ll be there,” she smiled, rubbing her thumb against the back of his hand.

Madi slid into the booth beside Clarke, jolting them both from their bubble. “Ginger is convinced that Lincoln’s sword swallowing friend is hot…do I let her flirt with him?”

“He’s like thirty…” Bellamy said before Clarke had the chance to respond.

“Is he flirting back?” Clarke continued, squeezing Bellamy’s hand gently to quell his dad mode.

“Not really, I think he just thinks it’s funny,” Madi sighed, glancing back toward her friend who was attempting to lean seductively against the bar.

“Pretty harmless…if he starts reciprocating, the game’s up though. Okay?” Clarke resigned, sliding a $10 bill across the table and shaking her head as her daughter bounded away.

The rest of the night passed pretty uneventfully, Lincoln’s friend eventually grew bored of Ginger’s flirting and got into a chugging contest with the court jester. Octavia taught them all how to do the cyclone and Clarke had to admit…Bellamy is a pretty good dancer.

As they grew rowdier, Jasper banged loudly against the bar and kicked them all out.

“We gotta be apart!” Octavia slurred, swinging an arm around Clarke.

“Oh right, the night before the wedding,” Clarke agreed, eyes flittering over to Bellamy who was struggling to help Lincoln up from the stool.

Bellamy nodded and jerked his thumb toward Lincoln before giving Clarke a soft smile as he dipped out with Octavia.

“I’m really happy…” Octavia murmured, leaning on both Madi and Clarke as they made their way back home with Ginger trailing closely behind.

. XXX

“And now we plant the ceremonial sword!” a man dressed as a king exclaimed, pulling out an ornate sword and a large pot full of dirt.

Octavia and Lincoln joined hands over the handle and pushed it carefully into the pot before turning back to the king.

“I know declare thee, Lord and Lady! You may kiss!” he exclaimed, as the lute player began playing a light tune and a flock of doves were released from behind the gazebo.

The crowd erupted into loud cheers and huzzahs as the happy couple kissed. From his spot beside Octavia, Bellamy’s eyes filled with tears as he watched the wide smile on his baby sister’s face. Subtly wiping his eyes, he looked up to meet Clarke’s gaze from where she was sitting in the audience. She gave him a soft smile and a quick wink, before the crowd covered his view of her as they rushed to throw flower petals at the bride and groom as they ran back up the aisle.

As soon as the happy couple were out of sight, the crowd burst into a flurry of moving chairs and tables. Seemingly out of nowhere, people had appeared to hang candles and large drapey fabric over the streetlamps. Amused and a little afraid, Bellamy quickly sidestepped away from the gazebo and into the street.

“Fancy seeing you here, fine sir,” Clarke teased, coming up behind him to rest a hand on his arm.

“And you as well m’lady,” he grinned, taking her hand to gently kiss her knuckles.

“That was cute but I’m out of old timey material…”

“Me too,” he agreed, pausing to take in her floor length pink dress and intricate braided crown. “You look….beautiful.”

Clarke felt her cheeks heat at the compliments, “You’re not too bad yourself,” she almost whispered, running her hands across his chest before they came to rest against his shoulders.

They shared a long look before they spoke again. “The wedding was beautiful. Unconventional, but beautiful.”

“I loved the part where the king used the phrase, ‘burn of the loin’”

“Who doesn’t love a good loin,” Clarke giggled, sliding her hands carefully down his biceps.

“But O seems over the moon so I guess it all worked out,” he paused, almost as if he wanted to say something else before a loud trumpet sounded to signify that the reception was beginning.

The area that had moments before been the town square, had been fully transformed into a medieval scene. Lanterns hung from the light posts and there were at least 20 women in full skirts, twirling to a soft jig. In the center of the spectacle stood Lincoln and Octavia who were twirling happily to the music. Even Lincoln, who was normally stoic, had a broad smile across his face.

As the crowd began to settle, the king declared that it was time for the first official dance and parted the masses to form a tight circle in the center. The music slowed from a light jig to a soft melody and Lincoln and Octavia stood in the center, swaying softly. Their love was palpable and for a moment it felt like nobody was in the room except for them.

She wasn’t sure whether it was a rush of bravery or the love in the air, but Clarke reached down and threaded her fingers with Bellamy’s.

The music died down and people began to filter onto the dance floor to join them. From across the crowd, Clarke spotted Jordan and Madi dancing in the corner, lost in their own world.

“Can I have this dance?” Bellamy asked, leading her toward the center of the dance floor.

Keeping their hands joined, Clarke slipped her other arm so her palm came to rest on his back and he moved to place a hand against her waist. His palm was huge and Clarke gasped at the realization that his palm spanned almost the entire length of her ribs. They swayed gently to the music, stiffly at first but they softened as the song drifted on. After a moment, Clarke pulled back a little to meet his gaze.

Bellamy unlaced their fingers to place a hand lightly against her jaw, rubbing his thumb against her cheek. She closed her eyes, reveling in the roughness of his thumb against her skin. He leaned forward to press a kiss against her forehead.

“I’ve still gotta take you on that date…” he murmured, lips still pressed up against his skin.

“I thought this was our date.”

“Oh I have much bigger plans for us princess.”

Clarke heartbeat fluttered as Bellamy tucked her against his chest and she buried her face into the crook of his neck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully I did this justice, it was honestly pretty tough to write. Sorry it's taken so long for me to update this, I've just been dealing with the pitfalls that come with general existence. 
> 
> Thank you all for supporting, reading, commenting, Kudosing and encouraging me. It means so so much, I cannot express to you how much I love hearing from y'all. 
> 
> Feedback (negative or positive) is always appreciated <3 
> 
> Love y'all sm 
> 
> p.s
> 
> I'm on tumblr (Nakeycatstakebaths22), I haven't used it since 2012 so I'm a little rust but feel free to message me on there! I'd love to chat with y'all.


	12. An entire pie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The moment y'all have been waiting for. Heed the rating please.

Clarke examined herself in the mirror, pulling awkwardly at her sweater and jeans. It was too casual, she wanted to impress Bellamy, even if he had seen her a million times before. She turned to her closet, she had dumped a significant portion of it onto the floor already but nothing looked right.

Just as Clarke was about to try on a bodycon dress that she’d had since high school, Madi padded into her room and flopped onto the bed.

“You’re overthinking this majorly,” Madi sighed, resting her head against the enormous pile of shirts on the bed. “Bellamy has liked you forever, just be yourself.”

“This isn’t just diner Bellamy, this is date Bellamy! I don’t know what to expect!” Clarke cried, shedding the dress and pulling on a halter top.

“2007 called and it wants its shirt back.”

“You’re mean,” Clarke huffed, digging into her closet until she found a baby pink, cropped V-neck sweater that she usually saved for Valentine’s day.

“That’s perfect, with your dark blue skinny jeans with the rips on it and that fun pearly hair clip!” Madi exclaimed. “Heels?”

“Boots,” Clarke decided, pulling on her jeans and dipping into her closet to put on a sexier bra. She wasn’t sure where this date was going to go, but she wanted to air on the side of caution as far as underwear was concerned. Plus, the lace was cute peeking out of the top of her sweater.

“What’re you up to tonight?” Clarke asked emerging from her closet, leaning down onto her dresser to swipe a curling wand through her hair. “Is Jordan coming over?”

“No, I think I’m just going to have a chill night to myself,” Madi answered, standing up to start putting Clarke’s shirts back on their hangers. “There’s a new documentary on Netflix about William Henry Harrison and I need to do laundry. I might order Cajun food since I’m by myself and you don’t like the smell.”

“Are you joking?” Clarke paused, putting her lip gloss down on the table. “Now I’m not complaining but I leave a sixteen year old by herself for the night and you’re going to do laundry?!”

“Oh I’m sorry, I’m going to invite Jordan over and we’re going to have wild sex on every surface of the house.”

“Stop, stop, go back to your Cajun food and your documentary about America’s most boring president please. Just open a window afterwards!”

“That’s what I thought,” Madi said smugly, hopping off the bed to go order her dinner.

She flipped through the menu as she loaded the first load of whites into the washing machine and had already placed her order by the time Clarke emerged fully dressed.

“I feel like I need to take a shot before I go over there,” Clarke said testily.

“Yeah because Bellamy doesn’t already make you act uncoordinated and crazy,” Madi teased from where she was sitting on the couch, folding socks.

Clarke plucked a sock from Madi’s hands and kissed the top of her head, “You’re a really good kid.”

“I love you too,” Madi giggled, reaching out to take the sock back. “Now stop stalling and go.”

Clarke gave her daughter one last squeeze before slipping out the door and steeling herself. It was just a date, she had been on hundreds of dates before. She could handle this.

She repeated this to herself as she walked down the stairs. Just as she was about to pull open the car door, she heard a branch breaking nearby and jumped.

Bellamy emerged from the shadows with both hands raised, “Woah, didn’t mean to scare you!”

“You surprised me a little, I was just about to meet you at the diner!”

“Oh, caught you just in time then. I figured people normally get picked up for dates, right? I mean if you want, I can leave and you can meet me at diner?” Bellamy rambled, shoving the sleeves of his white linen shirt.

Clarke’s eyes dropped down to the exposed skin of his forearms, surprising herself with how flustered the sight of the exposed skin made her. It was crazy, something about him made her feel like a virgin again.

“You look, really nice,” she murmured, prying her eyes away from his arms to meet his gaze. “I can’t remember the last time I saw you in anything other than plaid or period costume.”

“Well I really considered wearing tights, but Murphy talked me out of it,” Bellamy grinned, nerves seeping away as he reached out to spread his hand across her ribs.

“Remind me to have a word with Murphy later,” Clarke replied, taking a small step closer toward him as the feel of his hand pressed against her side warmed her to her core.

Just when Clarke though he was going to lean forward to kiss her, he slid his hand to her lower band and started guiding her to his truck. He held the door open for her and she slid into the passenger side, already missing the heat of his hand pressed against her.

“So where are we going?” she asked excitedly, reaching across the console to thread their fingers together. Her heart fluttered as his thumb rubbed against the back of her hand and they peeled out of her driveway.

The soft rumble of Johnny Cash drifted through the air as they chatted aimlessly about their days and about Octavia’s honeymoon. Slowly, Clarke felt her nerves melt away as her and Bellamy fell back into their usual banter. Dating or not, he was still her best friend.

“So I pull up to the school and Raven is literally chasing Jasper in circles around the lobby, chucking small chunks of wood at him,” Clarke laughed, pulling Bellamy’s hand into her lap as she recounted the altercation last week where Jasper had stained the baseboards three different colors and Raven attempted to murder him.

“That would explain why he came into the diner with a splinter in his face,” Bellamy chuckled, resting his knuckles against her inner thigh. “Did you know that when we were kids, Raven and Wick convinced Jasper that if he ate pop rocks and drank a coke he would be able to fly? So he tried it during recess and jumped off the jungle gym. Totally shattered his arm.”

“Good to know this isn’t the first time that Raven’s tried to kill him.”

“One of these days it’s gonna work and she’s going to miss that little fucker,” Bellamy said, shaking his head as they pulled into a parking lot.

“Where are we? I’ve never been here before?” Clarke asked, brows furrowed as she took in the neon sign and relatively empty parking lot.

“The Arkadia and TonDC border, this place is pretty special to me,” Bellamy answered nervously, hopping out of the car and pulling open the door for Clarke.

He shepherded Clarke into pastel lit restaurant, his nerves were shot and he wiped his hand against the front of his khakis in an attempt to downplay the way he felt.

Clarke slid into the red leather booth a flashed him a bright smile, “So what’s the magic behind this place?”

Just as Bellamy was about to answer, an older woman stepped forward and slid menus in front of them both.

“Dioyza!” Bellamy said warmly, stepping out of the booth to wrap the woman in a tight hug. She looked to be about Clarke’s mom’s age and Bellamy was giving her the same look that he gives to Octavia.

“You brought a girl here?” Dioyza smiled widely, reaching out to place a hand over Clarke’s, “It’s wonderful to meet you dear and it’s fantastic to know for sure that Bellamy isn’t resorting to joining a monastery.”

Clarke choked out a surprised laugh, “The jury’s not quite out on that one yet,” she teased, nudging her foot against Bellamy’s under the table.

“She’s funny,” Dioyza laughed, pouring two generous glasses of wine.

“Dioyza, this is Clarke. Clarke, this is Dioyza, she was my mom’s best friend,” Bellamy explained, gesturing between the two women.

“So you’re the famous Clarke, he never shuts up about you! You’re even prettier than he makes you seem…with a sense of humor to boot.”

Clarke flushed at the compliment as Bellamy’s ears turned bright red.

“Bellamy’s ears are red so I think I’ve done my job here,” Diozya said, “I’ll be back with the best meal of your lives in a few.”

With a final proud grin, the older woman turned back toward the kitchen. Bellamy took a long sip of wine in an attempt to get the heat to die down.

“She fills the embarrassing mom quota that I usually miss out on,” he chuckled, eyes shining with fondness.

“She’s sweet, you’re lucky to have that,” she said carefully, placing a hand on his forearm.

“After I lost my mom, this kind of became my place, she taught me almost everything I know about running a business. And, how to make that brownie skillet thing that I make for Madi’s birthday every year.”

“Madi’s going to want her autograph.”

“I’m really happy we’re doing this,” Bellamy blurted out, breaking out of the comfort of their banter.

Clarke’s heart melted at the earnestness in his expression and she tightened her grip against his arm. “Me too, who would’ve thought we’d end up here?”

“To fourteen years in the making,” Bellamy said, lifting up his wine glass to clink against hers.

“I remember the day that we met like it was yesterday,” Clarke agreed, tapping her glass against his and taking a long sip.

“You mean the day a human tornado with the bluest eyes I’ve ever seen came barreling into the diner and proceeded to drink an entire pot of coffee?” he teased, nodding his thanks to a waiter dropping off a breadbasket.

“You left out the part where you were mean to me and called me the new girl!” Clarke huffed, pulling the baguette apart and handing Bellamy half.

“You were the new girl!” he said defensively, ripping off a much smaller piece and returning the rest of the baguette to the basket.

“A nice little welcome would’ve been nice. Perhaps a song?” she laughed, fake outrage cracking quickly.

“I also left out another important detail,” Bellamy said softly, reaching down to rummage for something in his pocket. “That beautiful tornado left me with a souvenir to remember her by.”

Clarke’s brows knit together for a moment before her memory sparked, “A little scrap of paper.”

Bellamy nodded and pulled a carefully pressed square from the inside of the fold, “Yup, a little scrap of paper.”

Clarke’s breath caught in her throat as she stared at the small square, she could feel herself choking up and she wasn’t really sure what to do with herself. “There’s no way that’s the actual slip of paper.”

Gently, Bellamy unfolded the scrap, _“It’s a beautiful day to meet the craziest person you’ll ever meet. You make excellent coffee, so I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship (whether you know it or not)”_

Clarke’s own messy scrawl stared back at her as tears clouded her vision, she couldn’t believe he had saved her crazy caffeine ramblings from the very first day they met.

He reached across the table to cup her jaw, gently rubbing the tear that had spilled over from her cheek. She placed her hand over his, filling the spaces between his fingers with her own.

“Bellamy…I cannot believe that you saved this,” she choked out, heart swelling with an overwhelming amount of affection for the man in front of her.

“Even then, I knew you were something special and clearly you knew this was something special too,” he murmured, voice scratchy as emotion bubbled in his chest.

Before Clarke’s brain could fully process what, she was doing, she slid across the U of the booth until they were face to face.

“You’re one in a million Bellamy Blake,” she murmured, cupping his face in her hands.

Her heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest as she ran her thumbs gently across his cheekbones, tracing the path of his freckles across his face. Before she could psych herself out of it, she surged forward, gently pressing her lips against his. It was chaste, a gentle slide of their lips but it was laced with promise as Bellamy’s hands reached out to span her ribs.

It was over before it started but Clarke felt lightheaded as she pulled away, lips tingling with the feel of his against her own.

XXX

The air in the truck felt charged as they traced the winding road back to Polis. Johnny Cash’s crinkly voice was bouncing against the walls, but all Clarke could focus on was the feel of his hand on her inner thigh.

Bellamy paused at the intersection at the center of town. “I uh-can drop you off. Unless you want to have a cup of coffee first? I have some pie leftover from this morning,” he asked unsurely.

Clarke felt her nerves dissipate at his question and she smiled, “A cup of coffee sounds amazing.” The little slip of paper was still at the forefront of her mind, she truly couldn’t believe that this thoughtful, wonderful man liked her. The whole thing made Clarke’s brain desperately want to admit to him and to the world that her feelings for him were deeper than like, she was in love.

The tiny bell above the door jingled loudly as Bellamy flipped on the lights in the diner. He dipped behind the counter and poured two mugs of coffee.

“Grab that, we can take these upstairs,” he instructed, jerking his thumb toward the pie holder.

“The whole thing?!” she cheered, eyes widening at the pie but Bellamy had already disappeared up the stairs.

She grabbed the pie and swiftly followed, setting the it down on the coffee table and kicking off her shoes.

“Bob Dylan or Beatles?” Bellamy asked, flipping through his phone.

“Do you even have to ask?” Clarke scoffed, wrapping two hands around her mug.

“You’re right, stupid question,” he agreed, hitting the Bob Dylan playlist and taking his seat next to her.

Their knees brushed gently against each other as they sipped on their coffees.

“Did you always know that you were going to run the diner?” Clarke asked, she had realized while they were at Dioyza’s that she had never really heard about this part of Bellamy’s life.

“Not even a little, it was always supposed to be Octavia, shockingly enough in hindsight. I had always wanted to be a history teacher. I was going to do it too, had a full ride on a baseball scholarship. But life got in the way,” Bellamy replied, voice tinged with a hint of sadness.

Clarke set her coffee cup back on the table and knelt on the couch beside Bellamy, carding her fingers through his hair. “You would’ve been an amazing teacher in another life,” she assured, twirling her fingers in the strands at the nape of his neck.

“I’m happy with how my life turned out, don’t get me wrong but I’ve always wondered.”

She nodded, letting her fingers trail from his hair to his neck. “Maybe we would’ve still met each other, in the alternate universe where I was a doctor and you were a teacher.”

Bellamy gave her a broad smile and pulled her gently into his lap, nuzzling into her shoulder. “I’d definitely like to think so.”

He pressed a kiss into her shoulder, continuing his path when her head tilted back to give him better access. He slid his hands to fit into her waist, reveling in the softness of her skin against his mouth.

A soft moan escaped from her lips, the kisses left a flutter in her stomach but the small nips he was leaving in their wake made her stomach burn. Shifting to give herself better access, she tilted her chin, so their lips met.

The moment, his tongue darted out to run against the seam of her lips, fourteen years of pent up tension came to a head all at once. Their kisses grew urgent, the rough slide of lips punctuated by light clacking of their teeth as they tried to pull each other as close as possible.

Clarke swung her leg around so she was straddling his waist and ran her hands up his chest, reveling in the feel of hard muscles beneath her hands. She could feel him pressing up against her and she moaned again, rocking experimentally against him.

Bellamy’s hands trailed from her waist to her ass, grabbing at her through her jeans in an attempt to urge her closer.

“Holy crap,” he panted, digging his fingers into ass as she bucked against him.

Clarke pawed at the buttons on his shirt and he grabbed her hands, leaning back slightly so he could pull the linen over his head.

She balked at the ripples of muscle, including a six pack that she was dying to get her mouth on. Her tongue darted out to wet her lips and Bellamy surged forward meeting her lips in a messy, desperate kiss. His hands slipped below her sweater, urging it over her head.

The slide of his skin against hers caused Clarke to press down harder against him, moaning softly as his dick bumped her clit.

“Do you-“ Bellamy began, pulling away just enough to meet her gaze. Clarke surged forward to press feather light kisses to his lips, “I want this more than I’ve ever wanted anything,” she insisted.

That was all the answer Bellamy needed to scoop her up and carry her over to the bed.

“Of course your sheets are flannel,” Clarke giggled, running her hands across the sheets as Bellamy shimmed out of his jeans and boxers. Her laughter died on her lips at the sight of him, his dick was massive and she felt a rush of wetness between her legs as he leaned down to press kisses down her stomach.

He paused at the top of her jeans, popping the button open and carefully sliding them down her legs, kissing every inch of exposed skin on his way down. Once her jeans hit the floor, he parted her legs and pressed two kisses to her inner thighs, achingly close to where she needed him most.

“Bellllammyy,” she moaned, nudging his head gently with her thigh.

“Not so fast princess,” he smirked, kissing his way back up her stomach till he reached the top of her breasts. “You have no idea how much I want to see these,” he murmured, reaching behind her to unclasp her bra.

He cupped each of her breasts in his hands, kneading lightly as he dipped down to suck one into his mouth.

Clarke gasped as he circled her nipple with his tongue, head rolling back as he moved to the other breast and continued his path up her body.

“So beautiful,” he whispered, pushing up on his forearms to look at her, reaching out to tuck a stray curl behind her ear.

“You took the words right out of my mouth,” she breathed, pressing kisses to each of the freckles on his cheeks.

“Tell me what you want,” he urged.

“I want you to, I need you to…please Bellamy…fuck me,” she groaned, hands digging into his biceps.

Clarke felt almost dizzy at the sensation, she couldn’t believe Bellamy was kissing her, that he wanted her, that she was his.

“Oh my God baby,” Bellamy grunted as he pressed into her, he could already feel the pleasure building at the base of his spine. She felt too good, it was almost too much, but if he died like this then he could die happier than he’d ever been.

They bucked wildly against each other, a flurry of skin and sweat.

“You’re so good baby, so good,” he moaned, pressing his fingers into her ass as she thrust against him.

“I’m so close, c’mon babe, feels so good,” Clarke urged, knot slowly unwinding in her stomach. She dug her nails into Bellamy’s shoulder’s, messily pressing kisses into his neck and chest.

Bellamy felt Clarke tightening against him and he reached down to press against her clit, rubbing tight circles as she fell apart, his name tumbling off her lips as they both fell apart together.

XXX

Clarke awoke to the feel of a large body pressed against hers, she turned, nuzzling her face into Bellamy’s chest. She smiled as his arms came to wrap around her and she felt a gentle kiss press against her head.

Careful not to wake him she slid out of bed, feeling around on the floor until she found a discarded flannel. Buttoning it up, she began digging through the cabinets in her search for coffee.

“What’re you looking for,” Bellamy mumbled, throwing a pillow over his head.

“Coffee,” she answered quietly, kneeling down to check the cabinets closest to the floor.

“Don’t keep it ‘ere, in the diner…” he said gruffly, adjusting the pillow so it fully covered his face. “Come back to bed baby,” he whined, already missing her warmth.

“In a minute, after coffee,” she smiled, heart fluttering at his words.

If Bellamy was up here then there was nobody downstairs, she could just dip down and make a quick pot. She carefully crept out of the apartment and jogged down the stairs, smoothing the flannel against her legs and praying that Bellamy remember to close the blinds last night.

She hit the final step and froze as she came face to face with a full diner of people who had all turned to stare at her. It was quiet enough to hear a pin drop and she froze, feeling her face flush a deep red.

“Uh, good morning Clarke,” Murphy chuckled nervously, looking between her and the staring customers.

Clarke blinked at Murphy like a deer in headlights before turning on her heel and running back up the stairs.

“OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD!” She screamed, running back into the apartment.

“Wha-“ Bellamy yelled, springing up from the bed in only his boxers. “Wait, what are you wearing?”

“Your shirt? I put it on to get coffee!”

“From downstairs?! There’s people down there!” he exclaimed, voice still scratchy from sleep.

“Yeah, I know. I gave them quite a show…”

“Did you get the coffee?”

“Half the town just saw me without my pants on so no I don’t have coffee!” Clarke explained, flopping down onto the couch.

“Well if this was supposed to be a secret then it’s out now,” Bellamy shrugged, moving to sit next to her. “Or maybe nobody saw you?”

“Every single pair of eyes was on me, even Mrs. Johansson who’s legally blind.”

“Maybe you gave her the gift of sight!” he teased, pulling her into his lap and pressing a kiss to her cheek.

“You’re not funny,” Clarke huffed, tucking her head against Bellamy’s chest. “But you’re cute so I’ll allow it,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHH! THEY'RE SO CUTE I LOVE IT UGH! 
> 
> I'm so so sorry it's been a hot minute since I've updated this. My dumb butt decided to start another WIP because why not and I got a little sidetracked. Hope y'all got your fix, my lil heart just loves these too two much. I've missed this little world and this story immensely, can't wait to get back to regular updates! 
> 
> As always, let me know what you think! Comments, suggestions and critiques are always welcome :) Much love always!


	13. Risky Business

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really into moodboards now haha

* * *

“So I hear there was a little risky business in the diner this morning,” Madi grinned, propping her shoulder against the entrance of the garage.

Clarke reflexively squeezed the paint bottle in her hands, jumping at the sound of her daughter’s voice. She had gotten lost in her own world; it had been a while since she had let herself have a few hours off of work and she was still a little wound up from earlier in the day.

“Jesus, you scared me,” she exclaimed, wiping the spilled paint on the leg of her overalls. “Also, we are not talking about this morning.”

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m trying not to think too hard about why you were pantsless in Bellamy’s apartment but I’ve got to know what you were thinking,” Madi said, shrugging off her jacket and jeans to pull on a pair of worn overalls they kept hung up in the corner of the room. “Jordan said it was like theatrically bad.”

“I didn’t think the diner could open without Bellamy!”

“Did you just forget that Murphy exists!?”

“Kind of, but don’t tell him I said that. He already doesn’t like me.”

“Yeah because you rear-ended him that one time and then drove away as fast as you could.”

“Whether or not I actually rear-ended him is still up for debate.”

Clarke rolled her eyes fondly at her daughter and quietly filled another water balloon with paint. She handed the water balloon to Madi, who was eyeing Clarke carefully.

“The date went well then?” Madi asked with a smug grin, taking the filled balloon from Clarke and squaring herself to throw it at the already covered canvas.

Clarke nodded appreciatively at Madi’s throw and began to fill her in on the date as she threw her own balloon. By the time she reached the part about the note, Madi’s eyes were welling with tears.

“Mom…he’s loved you this whole time. Literally, since I was a baby in a stroller. I’m so happy for you I just can’t believe it,” Madi sighed, reaching out to wrap her mom in a hug.

The hug caught Clarke by surprise, but she held Madi tightly, pressing her face into her hair.

“I can’t believe it either. I never thought he would see me that way or that it would feel so…right. It almost feels too good to be true,” Clarke murmured, lips still pressed up against the side of Madi’s head.

“It’s not too good to be true. You’ve given up so much for me. I’m just happy that you’re happy.”

“Hey,” Clarke said, pulling away slightly so she could look Madi in the eyes. “I didn’t give up anything for you. You gave me everything.”

Madi hugged Clarke again, more tightly this time. It was the kind of squeezing hug that she used to give Clarke when she was little. It was nostalgic and heartbreaking all at once, somehow her baby had gone from a gapped toothed, messy-haired kindergartener to a person Clarke could share her life with.

“How’s Jordan?” Clarke asked, leaving one arm around Madi’s shoulders. “Did you two have a cute little Christmas hot chocolate Netflix rom-com date?”

“Yeah, we had hot chocolate and he told me he’s the prince of Belgravia. I’m going to be a queen one day…not just any kind of queen, a _Christmas _queen!”

“I’m not worthy of your royal highness any longer,” Clarke laughed, untangling herself from Madi to throw a paint-filled balloon squarely in the middle of the canvas.

“After he recovered from the trauma of seeing my mother half-naked, we went to the Lightstown Gingerbread house museum and got the new peppermint lattes at Oldie Goldie.”

“Did you—”

“Yeah I got you not one, but two of the seasonal collectible cozies, they’re in my backpack. I got the snowman and Jordan got an elf.”

“You are the best daughter.”

“I’ll only give them to you if you promise to keep your pants on in public places…”

“Uh, no promises.”

Madi shook her head and turned to fill another balloon with paint.

XXX

Clarke dipped behind the counter of the diner, fishing underneath for her favorite yellow mug before turning to grab one of the bubbling pots from the coffee maker.

“Get out from behind my counter!” Bellamy called over his shoulder from where he was taking orders.

“Hey! I have special girlfriend privileges now, right? This should be allowed,” Clarke huffed, filling her mug and taunting Bellamy by drinking it behind the counter.

“It’s a hazard!”

“Ohh, look at me, I’m so hazardous,” Clarke teased, dancing in a small circle and waving her coffee mug around.

Bellamy resigned, leaning forward to press a gentle kiss to Clarke’s forehead before disappearing into the kitchen. Clarke’s cheeks burned a little when she caught the glances of a few customers, but she shrugged them off. Half the town had been bugging them since the beginning of time, they could get used to it.

She had settled back into her booth and was texting Raven and Octavia about what color the walls of the school should be when Bellamy placed a tall stack of pancakes in front of her. Her knew her well. But instead of leaving her to her busy work like he usually did, he slid into the booth across from her.

“I wanted to talk to you about something,” he said carefully, eyes flicking around the diner.

“Is something wrong?” Clarke frowned, he looked nervous and a little uncomfortable. The crease between his eyebrows was causing a knot in her stomach, Bellamy wasn’t one to be dramatic.

“No, nothing like that,” he assured quickly, gently nudging his knee against hers underneath the table. “I wanted to know if you maybe wanted to go camping this weekend?”

“Like a weekend away?”

“I mean it could be if you wanted it to, but I figured Madi could come if she wanted. I don’t want her to feel like we’re edging her out. She could bring a friend or something so it’s not weird.”

Clarke’s chest squeezed at the earnestness in his expression, he continued to surprise her. None of her past boyfriends had had children so they had never understood Madi or been able to connect with her well. They never considered that kids can feel left behind when their parent starts to date someone new. But Bellamy loved Madi already and he was taking so much care to make sure that she was adjusting to their relationship. The word love thudded through Clarke’s ears again. It was too soon, but she couldn’t deny that this felt different than her other relationships.

“I’ll ask her. I think she would like that,” Clarke smiled broadly, putting down her fork so she could cover Bellamy’s hand with her own. “I used to go camping with my dad all the time, but I haven’t been since I was in middle school. It’ll be nice to be able to do something like that with Madi, she’s never really had the chance to experience the outdoors.”

Bellamy returned her smile, bumping his knee against hers. They chatted about their trip while Clarke finished her breakfast, swapping stories about Mt. Weather and discussing which campsites were the best to watch the sunrise.

Clarke felt noticeably lighter as she walked from the diner to the school, being with Bellamy felt so natural. She had expected it to be more awkward but other than the occasional odd glance from a passing townsperson, things were going pretty smoothly. Nobody had brought up the risky business incident yet and Clarke wasn’t going to address it if she didn’t have to.

Raven and Octavia’s cars were both parked outside, and Clarke found them both hunched over a baseboard, comparing paint swatches against the sky blue wall.

“How’s my favorite new sister!?!” Octavia screamed, jumping up to charge Clarke and wrap her arms around her.

Clarke returned the hug but blanched a little at Octavia’s excitement.

“Did you forget you’re the one who got married? Jesus, Clarke is as white as a sheet,” Raven said, knees cracking as she moved to stand from the baseboard as well.

“Sorry, I got a little excited. I’m just so happy for you guys! I mean pantsless in the middle of the diner! Things must be going well,” Octavia replied sheepishly, giving Clarke one last squeeze before stepping back to lean against the counter.

Clarke blushed and pointedly ignored the diner comment, “Things are going well. Better than I could have hoped honestly.”

Raven hopped on the counter beside Octavia and grinned wickedly, “C’mon! I want more than that! Spare the gory details for Octavia’s sake but I’ve been suffering through this ‘will they won’t they’ for like fourteen years. I deserve some info!”

“No gory details, the town has seen enough of that. But we’re going camping this weekend, I think. He wanted Madi to come too,” Clarke admitted, trying to keep her voice level as she beamed.

Raven squeaked and bounced up and down excitedly on the desk, but Octavia was notably silent. She had the tip of her thumb in her mouth, and she seemed to be worrying the nail with her teeth. It was concerning, considering her bubbling enthusiasm only minutes before.

Clarke continued giving details about the camping trip, but Octavia’s brow remained furrowed. She was analyzing Clarke carefully, thumb still tucked in between her teeth. Raven didn’t seem to notice and continued to excitedly ask her questions about their date and the trip.

They were interrupted by Jasper who came barreling in the door with an armful of light switches and Raven immediately jumped off the desk to instruct him on where to put them. It wasn’t until Raven was completely out of sight that Octavia finally spoke.

“I’m going to preface this with the fact that I’ve been gone for a long time and you might already know this and if you don’t know then I don’t know if it’s my place to tell you but I would feel weird if I didn’t,” Octavia rambled, tucking a stray piece of long black hair behind her ear. “But this Saturday is Bellamy’s ‘dark day’, it’s anniversary of the day our mom passed away. I do the standard candle lighting, crying and eating her famous cookie cake thing but he just kind of vanishes.”

“His ‘dark day’? How have I never heard about this before,” Clarke asked. She was confused, Bellamy had been her friend for as long as she could remember, and a dark day had never come up.

“I kind of figured you knew since he always closes up the entire diner and goes totally off the grid. Not that he’s really on the grid in the first place. It’s kind of become a town thing,” Octavia shrugged. “I’m not trying to stir shit, but I didn’t want you to be blindsided.”

“I’m glad you told me,” Clarke assured, putting her hand on Octavia’s arm. “I feel kind of shitty for not noticing though, especially if everyone else knows.”

“I mean it started before you got here and you had a young kid for most of the time, it’s understandable.”

“I guess…”

“After me, you know him best. It’ll be fine. It goes without saying that I’m happy about you two and I’m happy that my brother is happy,” Octavia said, hopping off the counter. “Just take care of him please, he needs to let his guard down once in a while. He doesn’t trust a lot of people.”

Clarke watched as Octavia disappeared into the back of the house, long hair swinging behind her. Octavia had a point, Bellamy was rarely vulnerable. He usually only let out pieces of himself in small doses. This camping trip was a big deal, a much bigger deal than Clarke had originally realized.

XXX

Clarke threw a plaid shirt into her duffel bag, shoving down her pile of socks and small section of situationally inappropriate underwear to make room. It had been a long time since she had camped and her closet wasn’t exactly well suited toward physical activity.

“Remind me again why I couldn’t bring Jordan?” Madi whined, hauling her duffel bag into the hallway.

“Because even though I’m a cool mom, I can’t let my sixteen year old kid sleep in the same tent as her boyfriend.”

“But you get to bring your boyfriend!”

“That’s because I’m the mom! Ginger will be fun; she acts like an adorable alien in regular situations, so it’ll be even more fun while camping. I’ve never seen someone get so excited about things like Cheez-its.”

“Her parents are like more intense than grandma, they think pre-packaged food is for poor people.”

“Your grandma didn’t know what Chipotle was until two weeks ago.”

“Okay fair enough, but still!”

“They’re missing out on a world of fun. Giving her smores will be extra exciting then.”

“Your tactics are working but I’m still going to miss Jordan,” Madi huffed, turning to lug her bag down the stairs.

Clarke laughed at Madi’s retreating form as she pushed down the lid of her bag, forcing the zipper to trudge around the rim. She had considered allowing Madi to bring Jordan but there was no way that she could swing it without feeling a little bit weird. It wasn’t appropriate to go on a couple’s trip with two kids who were still in high school. Clarke didn’t even want to consider what explaining the situation to Monty and Harper would have looked like.

As much as Madi was smart and a lot more levelheaded and educated about sex than Clarke had been, the lineage of teenage pregnancy made her nervous. It would happen eventually, but it could happen when Clarke wasn’t one tent over. She had enough to worry about this weekend with Bellamy’s dark day, there wasn’t enough mental energy to also refresh her daughter on the guidelines of safe, consensual sex.

The zipper caught on the rim before it could make its way all the way around and Clarke groaned, resigning herself to sacrificing her white jeans for the sake of space.

XXX

The mountains winded around the bends of the highway, thick patches of grass and thin, wispy clouds blurred past the window as Bellamy’s truck sped by. Mt. Weather felt like a different universe than Polis, it was wide spanning and open with not a single person in sight.

Madi stuck her head out the window, breathing in the sharp clean air. She closed her eyes, letting her hair whip around her in the wind. Beside her, Ginger clutched her almost empty container of McDonald’s French fries and stared wide eyed at the scenery.

“Welcome to Mt. Weather,” Bellamy grinned, pulling the truck into a dirty path that led to the campgrounds. The area he had rented was tucked far in the back, it was much larger than the spot he usually got to accommodate the additional people.

This weekend was usually a reflective time for him, he liked to spend the day alone just surrounded by nature. But there was something nice about the chatter in the car and Clarke’s hand on his thigh. It felt centering, reassuring. Bellamy usually found people tiring but that had never been the case with Clarke, she always seemed to know when he wanted to listen to her chatter and when he needed silence.

“This place is amazing,” Ginger said, scoping the area around them excitedly. “One time when I was little, I asked my mother if we could make hamburgers outside and she said no but I got to watch an episode of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives where he uses a grill!” she said nonchalantly, hauling a bag of charcoal from the truck to place next to the small grill.

Bellamy furrowed his brow at her and shot a confused glance at Clarke who shrugged. The girl was both the most and least self-aware person that Bellamy had ever met. She had also never eaten chicken nuggets from McDonalds and had spend half the drive lamenting about how the breading was so crunchy. She had spent the other half of the drive casually flipping through a copy of Anna Karenina like it was a magazine. It was unsettling…but also oddly endearing. Madi had never really had good friends and as much as this girl was strange, she seemed to be good fit for Madi. It was nice to see them do normal teenage stuff, Madi had always acted so much like an adult that seeing her act like a kid made his heart warm.

“Why don’t you two go check out the bathrooms?” Clarke called, throwing the last duffel bag onto the picnic table.

The girls excitedly ran down the dirt road, leaving their phones discarded on the table. There was no reception this high up, they were truly off the grid.

Bellamy popped up the second tent and gave his handiwork a satisfied smile. The high tech tents were a lot easier to set up than his standard tarp and pole set-up.

“They look great,” Clarke murmured, coming up behind him to wrap her arms around his torso. She leaned her cheek against the dip of his back, breathing in the woodsy scent that was distinctly Bellamy.

He turned in her arms, reaching out to tuck a stray curl behind her ear. “We probably have a few minutes before they get bored and come back,” he whispered, face inches from hers.

They kissed softly, aimlessly, just enjoying the feel of their lips sliding together. Clarke ran her hands lazily up and down his back, resting her hand against the small sliver of skin between his shirt and jeans.

In what felt like seconds, they pulled apart. Clarke kept her arms wrapped around Bellamy and carefully rested her cheek against his chest, listening to the thud of his heart through the soft flannel.

“I’m really glad you asked me to come,” she said, closing her eyes as his arms tightened around her.

“I’m really glad you came,” he answered, pressing an impossibly soft kiss to the top of her head.

Madi and Ginger came barreling back down the road a few minutes later, excitedly talking about all the hiking dogs they saw on their way to the bathrooms. Clarke and Bellamy separated quickly, each returning to setting up the camping area.

The rest of the afternoon passed with unrolling sleeping bags and unpacking utility items. By the time they all settled around the picnic table, the sun was dipping behind the horizon and had bathed the entire campground in an orange pink haze.

Bellamy set a plate of freshly grilled burgers in the middle of the table, gesturing grandly for them to help themselves.

“I was looking through some of the guidebooks they had by the bathroom and there’s a really cool nature walk on Saturday mornings where they talk about the botanical classifications of the trees,” Madi said excitedly, assembling her cheeseburger with painstaking care.

“There’s a slightly invasive beetle species that I would love to get more information on,” Ginger agreed, copying Madi’s exact movements while she constructed her own burger.

Bellamy and Clarke both looked horrified by their explanation and Madi laughed, “You two don’t have to come. Go be cute, it’s a guided tour.”

“I just worry about you being by yourself without a phone,” Clarke said between a mouthful of chips.

“Especially with just a park ranger,” Bellamy agreed, stealing a chip from Clarke’s plate.

“I brought extra strength pepper spray. It’s infused with red dye so that the police can easily identify your assailant. I’m also a black belt,” Ginger shrugged, focusing more on her burger than on her explanation. “I have a sensei that comes to my house once a month so I can keep up my skills.”

Clarke’s eyes widened but she was trying not to react too much to what Ginger had just said, “Uhh—in that case, I guess you two can go. Just make sure your pepper spray works before you leave.”

“I’ll give you some of my bear spray too. Just in case,” Bellamy added, placing a hand on Clarke’s thigh to still it from bouncing.

The girls seemed satisfied with this response and immediately jumped into a conversation about different species of invasive beetles and how they’ve negatively impacted their environments. Bellamy and Clarke shared an amused look, half listening to the girls and half arguing with each other about what was the correct order of toppings on a cheeseburger.

“How do you guys feel about smores?” Clarke asked, clearing up the paper plates and wiping the table down with a Lysol wipe.

“I brought all the fixings including Reese’s cups for heathens who prefer them over Hershey’s,” Bellamy added, dumping an armful of bags over the area that Clarke had just cleared.

“If by heathens you mean people of taste, then yes,” Madi smirked, ripping open the bag of chocolate to grab a piece.

“This is what I’ve been looking forward to the most. You guys are just so all-American,” Ginger said, picking up a skewer and eyeing it with glee.

Bellamy laughed and handed Ginger a bag of jumbo marshmallows, “Go nuts.”

Madi spent the next few minutes showing Ginger the best way to get a perfect golden brown marshmallow without burning it. Every so often Clarke and Bellamy would throw in a tip while they roasted their own marshmallows.

Sure enough, smores lived up to their cinematic reputation and by the time the fire had died down, they had worked through an entire bag of jumbo sized marshmallows.

With the fire gone, the campground had become almost pitch black and Bellamy handed an electric lantern to Madi before leaving them to go to get ready for bed.

“I know Bellamy isn’t your real dad, but I really like your family,” Ginger said around a mouthful of toothpaste. “You’re all just so…comfortable. You have all these little jokes you make about each other. You’re lucky to have a mom like that and whatever Bellamy is.”

“I don’t really know what Bellamy is—he’s just Bellamy. He’s been like that for as long as I can remember. My mom doesn’t cook very well but when I was little, she would always try to make me a brown bag lunch. They were usually awful, but I didn’t want to hurt her feelings. So Bellamy used to make me a different lunch and I would go to the diner before school to switch it with him. I’m pretty sure he actually ate whatever awful thing my mom made just because the idea of throwing it away would’ve made her sad…even if she didn’t know,” Madi replied, rinsing her mouth. She wasn’t really sure where that story had come from, it was one of those deep seated childhood memories that seem to come back at the weirdest times. Looking back on it now, she couldn’t believe that Bellamy had taken the trouble to do that every day.

“Like I said, he may not be your real dad but he’s a better dad than a lot of real dads. I see my dad maybe twice a month. He’s a good dad but he travels a lot for his job and my parents don’t really like each other anymore.”

“Ginger…are you okay? I know you always make it seem like your family is just eccentric but sometimes I worry about you.”

There was a long pause while Ginger mulled over what Madi said, bending over the sink to rinse soap off her face.

“Your mom and my sister used to date in high school. I was mean to you when you first got to school because she told me not to trust you. My family is complicated, and I don’t really like my parents very much, Lexa has always been the person I could talk to. But after she moved to France it’s been really hard to get a hold of her and then she got married without telling me. I understand she’s busy and it doesn’t mean she doesn’t love me but…it sucks. Disliking you and your family was a way for me to have something to talk to her about again. But it didn’t last, and you didn’t end up being as terrible as I thought. I’m just ready to go to college now, I’m tired of everyone.”

Madi balked, that hadn’t been the answer she was expecting at all. She had known her mom was fluid over who she liked but the added layer of Ginger’s sister was surreal. Suddenly everything Ginger had done in those first few months made sense. It made Madi sad. Ginger losing her sister slowly was like Madi losing her mom and the thought of that alone made her feel sick.

XXX

Clarke buried her face further into Bellamy’s neck, snuggling into the heat of his skin against her cheek. It was so cold. She could see her breath fogging the air in the tent and she desperately didn’t want to crawl out from under the covers. Somehow, Bellamy was shirtless and radiating heat like a furnace. He tightened his arms around her in his sleep, pulling her flush against him. He mumbled something quietly, voice thick with sleep but Clarke couldn’t make out his words.

The sky was still hazy, a faint purple blue not quite heated by the sun yet. From the side of the tent, Clarke could see the beam of a lantern through the thin fabric. Madi and Ginger were up, and preparing for their classification hike.

“—you stay ‘ere, I’ll help ‘em,” Bellamy mumbled, carefully extracting himself from Clarke’s grip and fumbled around on the floor for one of his shirts.

He pressed a kiss to Clarke’s hairline as he stepped out of tent, zipping the entrance back up to preserve the heat.

Clarke snuggled back into the warmth of their enormous conjoined sleeping bag, willing the coziness she had felt before to somehow return. It didn’t come back. The heat of Bellamy’s skin was long gone, and she already missed the feel of his arms around her.

She shivered slightly, pulling the blanket around her head as she listened to Bellamy explain the bear spray to both the girls. Ginger went downwind to go and test it and Clarke giggled at the fake bear growl Madi made at her friend’s retreating footsteps.

“I had one of those moments last night, you know when a memory that you haven’t thought about in a long time suddenly comes back to you?” Madi said to Bellamy, “It must have been such a pain in the ass for you, I can’t believe you took the time—”

Madi recounted a story about how Bellamy used to make her lunches and Clarke’s breath caught in her throat. She had known those lunches were terrible, and she couldn’t afford any of the readymade stuff like Lunchables. It had always been a guilty spot for her, that Madi had to eat peanut butter sandwiches or slightly burned grilled cheese every day. She had too much pride to ask Indra for help and they hadn’t qualified for any of the school lunch programs. She couldn’t believe that Bellamy had been thoughtful enough to make lunches of Madi every day and that Madi had the emotional sensitivity as a seven year old to keep that from Clarke.

A tear ran down her cheek as she listened to Bellamy and Madi laugh about the sandwiches shaped like flowers that he used to make for her. Bellamy and Madi had a relationship that went beyond Clarke, he had genuinely cared for her daughter because he worried about her and loved her just like she had.

Clarke waited till she heard Madi and Ginger walk away from the campsite before she bundled herself up in the thick blanket and edged her way out of the tent. The sun had started to peek out over the horizon and Bellamy was bent over the fire, tending to what looked like a pot of coffee. She sat on the picnic table and gratefully took the mug that Bellamy handed to her.

“I heard you and Madi talking earlier—” she began, taking a long sip from the mug.

“Clarke, I wasn’t trying to keep that from you. I just knew you would be hurt, and I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it,” he said quickly, panic crossing his face.

“A big deal? Bell, you spent time every single day not just making lunch for my daughter but taking the time to do things like cut bread into fun shapes. We weren’t even that close back then. You just did it because you cared. Am I a little peeved that I spent time trying to make grilled cheese only for it to get thrown away? A little. But I’m more so grateful that someone else out there cares that much about my kid.”

“I actually tried to eat whatever you made the first few times, but I couldn’t do it,” he admitted, drinking from his own mug. “It’s the thought that counts though. I’m sure she appreciated you trying.”

“I might actually owe you an apology if you ate those,” Clarke smiled, bumping her knee against Bellamy’s. “You barely knew me, what made you do it?”

“My mom was great, like truly a wonderful person and a great mom. But after Octavia’s dad left, she struggled a lot to make ends meet. Diyoza used to make us dinner a lot, just to help my mom out. Or she would drop off food for us at school sometimes. That’s what living in a small town is about, taking care of your people,” he shrugged. “A cute little girl carrying around a book that weighed more than she did and her beautiful, hilarious mom? The flower sandwiches were nothing.”

They sat in companionable silence; Bellamy’s arm slung around Clarke’s shoulders as they watched the sun rise slowly into the sky.

“Today is the day she died. My mom. You probably heard about it, the people in town like to call it my ‘dark day’ or something equally dumb,” he finally admitted, hand shifting from her shoulder to her waist.

“I heard something about it yeah, but I’m glad you wanted me to spend the day with you.”

“I don’t normally like being around people when I’m upset. I usually just end up getting angry and lashing out, but I’ve never had that problem with you. You just kind of get it.”

Clarke placed a hand on his knee and tucked her head into the crook of his neck, she wanted to give him space to talk.

“I was so angry when she died, I just needed some time to process it. It feels fucked up now. It’s not like she wanted to go. But I was eighteen and I desperately want to get away from the town I grew up in, being stuck there felt like the end of the world,” he ground out, voice choking on the words. “I came to terms with it in the sense that I bottled it up and I only let myself feel it once a year.”

Tears ran down Bellamy’s cheeks and he told his story to Clarke. She rubbed a soothing hand up and down his back, letting him rest his tear stained cheek against her head.

“You don’t have to save the world and everyone in it all by yourself,” Clarke said quietly, after Bellamy had let out everything he had needed to say. “Trust me, I’ve tried. All you end up with is a burned grilled cheese sandwich.”

He snorted a laugh, pulling her against his side in a hug. “I’m starting to see that now.”

They stayed like that until the sun pushed up into the center of the sky, just enjoying the feel of their arms around each other.

XXX

Clarke leaned her head against the window, listening to the soft twang of the radio as the mountains flew by them. Bellamy’s hand was on her thigh and she traced the ridges on his knuckles, drawing soft circles against his skin.

She was tired, but happy, the weekend hadn’t been what she had expected but it had been good.

“Mom—” Madi called from the backseat, shaking Clarke from her Bellamy induced haze. “Have you checked your phone? We just got back into reception.”

“Not yet, why? I’ve kind of been enjoying being off the grid,” Clarke answered, digging through her purse for her phone.

“I’ve been saying it for years. Just get a flip phone, it’ll make your life so much easier,” Bellamy said smugly, tapping his thumb against Clarke’s thigh.

“Seriously, check your phone,” Madi repeated, voice tinged with a little panic.

Clarke turned fully to face her daughter; brows knit together. She had been using her phone to take pictures all weekend and at some point, it had died. It hadn’t seemed like a big deal but Madi seemed to think otherwise.

“Jordan texted me that Thelonius is trying to hold a town meeting about you guys. Something about dividing the town. He said that Raven and Octavia are trying to work on it but we should probably try to get back soon.”

Clarke balked, taking Madi’s phone to scan the messages before chancing a look at Bellamy. He looked—for lack of a better word, homicidal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so so sorry it's been a while since I've worked on this story. Life just kind of got in the way and I got swept up in another WIP that I'm working on right now. I'm going to try to be better about balancing updates between these two stories from here on out. 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has loved on this story and hung on throughout all the weirdness I have put you guys through with this. I appreciate each and every one of you so much :) 
> 
> Much love, I would love to know what you two think!! If you're interested in seeing moodboards, playlists and other more frequent updates about this story, feel free to join me on tumblr @nakey-cats-take-bathsss


	14. Christmas Movies and Mermaids

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like moodboards, follow me on Tumblr @Nakey-cats-take-bathsss

* * *

The drive back after Madi’s revelation was tense. Bellamy’s fingers were wrapped so tightly around the steering wheeling that his knuckles were turning white and he seemed to be visibly struggling to not speed. Clarke was pretty sure that if they had been alone in the car that he would be flying off the handle.

He skid to a stop outside of the town hall. The door had already swung shut, meaning that the meeting was already in session. Clarke jogged lightly behind, worry knotting in her stomach. She wasn’t sure what to expect, there had been incidents like this before. But she had never seen Bellamy quite so angry. His shoulders were tensed, and he hadn’t said a word since she had read him the text.

Clarke put a hand on his shoulder, indicating for him to wait and carefully eased the door of the building open.

Thelonious Jaha was in his usual place at the front of the meeting with three older townspeople at his side. A hunched over old man was standing by the microphone giving a testimony.

“Twenty-five years ago there was another couple just like this. Town staples, both of them. It seemed like a match made in heaven until they broke up. It divided the entire town! Almost destroyed us!” he called to the audience, receiving several whoops in response.

“This is a very serious matter,” Thelonius agreed. “We’ve known this was coming for a long time but we need to consider the ramifications! Clarke is about to open a school, the only art school in this town. Bellamy owns the most popular restaurant. If they were to break up, it would be disastrous for the economy.”

“Neither of them has particularly good track records with dating either,” a voice called from the audience.

“Is this a fucking joke?!” Octavia yelled, hair whipping around as she stood up. “You can’t control people’s relationships Thelonious.”

“Well I know you’ve only been back for some time Ms. Blake but surely you remember the ribbons from when you were a child!”

Raven stood up to stand by Octavia, equally enraged, “You’re kidding me, right?! I’ve been here this entire time and let me tell you…that was stupid, and this is just as stupid! We don’t need to wear loyalty ribbons to take sides in people’s breakups.”

“And that’s assuming Clarke and Bellamy even break up in the first place,” Lincoln added from his place beside his wife.

_“Are they going to make us break up?!” _Clarke whispered, nudging Bellamy from their place by the door. _“Can he do that?!” _

_“This is insane,” _Bellamy snapped, _“I’m going inside!” _

He stormed through the back of the hall, striding through the long aisle toward the podium. Clarke trailed behind, mainly horrified by what was unfolding. Bellamy had grown up in Polis, he was well versed with town nonsense. Clarke had lived here for a long time, but she wasn’t always up to date on eccentricities like this and she was genuinely at a loss for what to do.

Thelonious was pulling out charts and the older people began to discuss which sections of the town would go to each of them in the event of a break-up. Raven and Octavia were both screaming.

Bellamy finally reached the front, first turning toward Thelonius and then toward the rest of the town.

“Enough!” he yelled, fist clenching at his side. “I have dealt with so much crap from this town over the years! I tolerated you when you made me sign hundred of contracts to zone the diner, I wore that stupid flower festival costume when I was fourteen and I have served all of you disgusting amounts of food since I was six. This is a relationship between me and Clarke. That is, it! Two people. Her daughter gets some say but otherwise, that is the end of the outside opinions. You _all_ know that I’ve loved that woman since the day I met her. You all **sat** there and harassed me about it for almost two decades for God’s sake. And now we get together and I’m genuinely happy for the first time since my last high school baseball season and you all have to go back to this complete insanity! I don’t understand you people, you don’t like me when I’m miserable and you don’t like me when I’m happy,”

“Yeah! Screw you Thelonius,” Octavia yelled; one arm still held down by Lincoln.

“If we break up, I’ll leave. I will pack up my entire life and leave. I’ve never lived anywhere else but consider me gone. Octavia can run the diner. I hope you’re happy,” he finished, turning on his heel and storming out.

Part of Clarke wanted to go after him, but she was too enraged by the situation to not say anything.

“Bellamy has a very complicated relationship with this town. But I don’t. I have always loved this place and it has always felt like home. Color me surprised when half of the town is actively interested in dissolving something that makes me incredibly happy. That man has done nothing but sacrifice things in his life and for you all to expect him to give up love for the sake of the town economy is possibly the most selfish thing I’ve ever heard. I don’t know what to say other than the fact that I’m sad and disappointed in all of you. Thelonius, find a hobby or something,” she huffed, turning on her heel and storming out.

Surprisingly, she found Bellamy right outside the door. He was still rigid with anger and Clarke gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Thank you—I’m not used to having people on my side,” he finally said, covering her hand with his own.

“Well you’ve got a lot of people in your corner now,” Clarke assured. “And I’ve always been on your side.”

“I could kill Thelonius,” he said, looking back at the hall as Clarke lead him away.

“He’s just obsessed with the town; we all know it. Nobody cares what he thinks,” Clarke assured, pushing Bellamy down gently to sit on a bench. She gently reached out to smooth his hair back.

He tipped his head back, shoulders finally relaxing from where they were bunched next to his ears. “You’re still all-in on this, right? I—”

“Bell, I’m not going to stop being with you because Thelonius Jaha is controlling and concerned about the town economy. I’ve wanted this for a long time. I’m here for as long as you want me to be,” she whispered, still running her hands through his hair.

He closed his eyes for a moment, focusing on the feeling of her fingers against his scalp. Clarke’s face during that meeting had spiked an unfathomable amount of fear in him. The deep, anxious part of his brain that was always worried about being left behind had ignited.

Clarke moved a hand to rub the furrow between his brows, easing the worry away. It was clear that the whole ridiculous scene had thrown him off. “Hey—” she said quietly, carefully lowering herself to sit on his thigh. “You are my best friend and these past few weeks have been some of the happiest of my life. I love you and I want to be with you,” she assured, gently wrapping her arms around his neck.

He hugged her back, leaning his head on her shoulder.

XXX

"Where on earth are you going?" Bellamy moaned, shoving his feet into a pair of Clarke's slippers as he followed her outside. "It's the middle of the night!" 

"Do you smell that?" she whispered, wrapping her robe around herself as she looked up into the sky. 

"The air?" he asked, stepping forward to cover her shoulders with his arm. "It's freezing out here." 

Clarke turned into his body, pressing her cheek into his chest. "No, it's about to snow." 

"I checked the forecast before we went to bed...there's no snow," he insisted, closing his eyes as he rested his cheek against Clarke's head. 

Sure enough, only seconds later, Clarke squealed and Bellamy opened his eyes to find small flakes drifting from the sky. 

"Incredible," he murmured as she slipped out of his grasp to spin circles in her front yard. She stuck out her tongue to catch snowflakes on her tongue, giggling as they melted against her skin. Even after all these years, she never ceased to surprise him. 

XXX

Clarke knocked firmly on the door, tightening her coat around her shoulders. The temperature had dropped quickly, and the turn of December had brought a light dusting of snow over the tall, stone house.

“Oh excellent, I’m so glad you’re here,” Abby grinned widely, pulling both girls into the house. She was being uncharacteristically chipper as she led them further into the house.

Madi shot a worried look at Clarke behind her grandma’s back, there was something almost giddy about the way Abby was acting.

“Grandma, we still have our coats on!” Madi exclaimed, tugging lightly on her hand.

“Yes dear, we’re eating outside,” Abby said casually, pushing the heavy sliding glass doors.

Clarke balked, “Mom! It’s freezing, we’re going to die.”

“Oh don’t be dramatic Clarke, we’re celebrating.”

“Celebrating what? Your descent into insanity?!”

“Your grandmother is moving out!” Abby cheered, excitement rolling off of her in waves.

Clarke grinned widely, throwing an arm around her mother. She was proud of her. If Marcus’ mother was moving out, it meant that Abby had stood up for herself.

The backyard was already set up elaborately, her mother had gone all out on the celebrating. Marcus was already seated around the fire pit, a glass of bourbon resting on his knee. He didn’t seem to share the same excitement that Abby did.

“Ladies, the usual?” he asked stiffly, standing to pour a glass of wine for Clarke and a soda for Madi.

Clarke took the glass from him, eying him carefully. There was something off with the way he was acting, and it was a strong difference from the glee radiating of her mother.

Abby was either ignoring him or was choosing not to notice as she chatted casually with Madi about school and Jordan. The drinks portion of the night was smooth sailing, other than the freezing temperatures and the light layer of snow coating the ground.

Madi shivered slightly, siding up close to Clarke as they moved to the outdoor dining table. It was decorated immaculately, with tall votive candles and an elaborate centerpiece.

“Abby, don’t you think this is a little silly? Madi is vibrating from the cold,” Marcus said dryly, taking his seat at the head of the table.

“Nonsense Marcus, I’ll have Ingrid bring out the heat lamps,” Abby said, waving her hand at her husband dismissively.

“The heat lamps are already out dear, they don’t seem to be making a difference.”

“Well, then we’ll get her a blanket. We aren’t going to waste this wonderful table.”

“Really Abigail…” Marcus snapped, abruptly standing up from the table and striding into the house. Both Clarke and Madi winced as the patio door slammed shut.

Abby ignored the scene, instead gesturing for the maid to bring out the dinner plates.

“So, we’re not going to acknowledge that?” Clarke asked, taking a long sip of wine.

“No! We are not,” Abby said curtly, cutting into a piece of potato. “Isn’t the salmon wonderful? Marcus’ mother hates salmon. She called it garish,” she whispered to the girls, leaning across the table to ensure her husband didn’t overhear the conversation.

Marcus returned a moment later with a think blanket, which he draped carefully over Madi’s lap before returning to his seat.

Madi’s nose remained red and the air stayed tense as they ate their dinner in relative silence. Despite the awkwardness, Abby was smiling broadly the entire time.

XXX

“So, people genuinely believed this was real?” Madi asked, tossing a piece of popcorn at Bellamy.

“Yeah, it was quite the conspiracy. Nobody knew what a mockumentary was, so it only seemed obvious that mermaids were real,” Bellamy shrugged, picking the popcorn off his shirt and eating it.

He and Madi had been talking about the infamous National Geographic Mermaid documentary for weeks and they had finally gotten around to it. It wasn’t exactly a Christmas movie, but in Bellamy’s opinion, there was nothing cozier than watching a documentary by the fire while it snowed outside. Clarke disagreed, and had disappeared into the kitchen a while ago.

“We’ve only explored 20% of the ocean so there may be mermaids out there,” Madi said with a smirk.

“Except that the aquatic ape theory is 1000% false,” Bellamy laughed, catching another piece of popcorn. “I could see some sort of humanoid dolphin maybe?”

Clarke leaned against the kitchen counter, listening to Bellamy and Madi talk aimlessly about manatees, mermaids, and evolution. It was almost staggering how seamlessly the three of them meshed together. There hadn’t been any speed bumps. Clarke wasn’t used to things being so easy but she wasn’t going to fight it. It felt good to be a family together.

“I made cookies. Do you nerds want any?” Clarke called into the living room, bending to pull trays from out of the oven.

“You **made **cookies?” Madi yelled back, disbelief clear in her voice. “I am afraid.”

Clarke loaded the cookies on a plate and waltzed into the living room. “Actually, Pillsbury made these and I just heated them up. But now I’m not going to share,” she teased, squeezing into the armchair next to Bellamy.

Bellamy plucked the plate from Clarke’s hands, holding it over her head so that he could grab a cookie. Madi lunged up, taking two as well. They were all wrestling and grabbing for the plate when the door burst open and Octavia emerged with armfuls of Tupperware.

“What a cute little scene,” she cooed, “Now someone help me with these before I drop all the chocolate covered pretzels on the floor.”

They all sprung to help her, leaving the cookies to sit among the other festive snacks. The table slowly filled with cookies, cupcakes, chips and a giant pitcher of Raven’s spiked apple cider.

Eventually, they all ended up sprawled across Clarke’s living room floor. Raven and Wick on the loveseat, Octavia and Lincoln on the couch, Madi and Jordon on the floor. It was the same arrangement they always had, except for Bellamy and Clarke. Rather than awkwardly pressed against each other in a too-small armchair, Clarke sat sprawled across his lap with one arm wrapped around his shoulders.

“Polar Express is an overrated movie!” Lincoln exclaimed, waving his beer bottle in the air. Raven nodded in agreement, leaning forward to clink her bottle against his. In the past few movie nights, they had become somewhat of a team when they realized they had similar taste in movies.

“The Tim Allen version of Santa Claus gives me nightmares,” Madi argued, nudging Jordan so he would agree with her.

“She’s not lying,” Clarke nodded, “She was convinced he was hiding other the couch for the entirety of second grade.”

“Ugghhh, why does this always happen,” Bellamy groaned, scrubbing a hand over his face. “Can we just once agree on a movie?”

“Marley and Me, is kind of a Christmas movie?” Wick tried.

“Are you a sociopath? Did I marry a sociopath?! Marley and Me is not a Christmas movie,” Raven answered, smacking her husband on the arm.

“What about Elf?” Octavia suggested, reaching out to take two of Clarke’s cookies.

There was a hum of agreement as everyone looked around the room, there seemed to be a collective agreement that Will Ferrell was a good choice.

“It’s a Christmas miracle!” Bellamy cheered, searching for the movie on HBO.

“I love festive relationship Bellamy! He’s so jolly,” Octavia giggled, squeezing her brother’s knee.

Bellamy blushed softly and burrowed deeper into the armchair, tucking Clarke against his side. She tucked her head into his neck, tipping her chin up to press a soft kiss onto his jawline. She couldn’t help the small flutter in her chest as she thought back to their last movie night when all she could think about was Bellamy’s hands on her body.

XXX

A small older woman approached Bellamy and Clarke as they strolled around the Winter Carnival. Her equally small and old husband was grudgingly following behind her.

“Norman has something he wants to say,” the woman said curtly, crossing her arms and turning to her husband expectantly.

“I want to apologize for my behavior at the town meeting, it was out of line. I hope you both are happy together. I won’t be getting involved in such matters anymore,” he apologized carefully, eyes flitting from Bellamy and Clarke back to his wife.

“Thank you for the apology, Mr. Davidson, we appreciate it,” Clarke said warmly, reaching out to squeeze his wife’s arm. It was beyond clear that the apology had been scripted by her.

“Merry Christmas to you both,” Bellamy smiled, steering Clarke away from the couple.

People had been filtering into the diner all week, mainly older men, to apologize to Bellamy for the town hall meeting. Apparently, their theatrics had made an impact. A few of them had even come with baked goods as peace offerings from their wives. Clarke had been hoarding them, choosing a different one to have with her coffee every day.

“This town is a social experiment,” Bellamy groaned, leading Clarke through the booths.

They paused to watch Jasper bob for pears while Maya watched, cheering him on as he fought to beat his record from last year.

“It’s kind of fun though,” Clarke smiled, wrapping her arms around Bellamy’s torso and learning her chin against his chest as they watched Jasper splash.

It was a perfect winter carnival, small flakes of snow were drifting down and the lights twinkled against the light dusting. The choir was on its fifth round of “Angles We Have Heard on High” and Niylah’s dance school students were doing their snowflake dance in the middle of the town square.

The crowd roared with cheers when Jasper retrieved his twelfth pear, emerging victorious from the bucket of water. He flipped his hair in a circle, flicking water at the crowd while his friends lifted him to celebrate his victory.

“I let that man use a nail gun,” Raven sighed, coming up behind Clarke.

“Remember when you two tried to kill him in middle school?” Bellamy chuckled, backing away as the group of boys started to tip over the water bucket.

“No sane person believes that pop rocks can make you fly,” Wick said defensively, holding his hands up.

Clarke rolled her eyes at the petty bickering, dragging Bellamy toward the cinnamon nuts stand. Talking about grade school always led to the boys fighting about something stupid.

Octavia came flying toward them as they approached the nuts stall, waving her arms wildly. Wrapped in an all-white fur with her dark hair flying around her, she looked angelic.

“My earrings sold out!” she cheered, jumping to hug her brother. “I did little teardrop snowflakes and they’re all gone!”

They celebrated their victory with a huge bag of nuts, pausing to watch the dancers while they ate.

As the bag dwindled, Clarke gently pulled Bellamy away from the group. With all the commotion, they slipped through the crowd without much notice.

She guided him through the booths, weaving between people dressed as Santa and dancers in frilly costumes. Finally, she pulled him to a stop at the corner of the square. There weren’t any booths here, so it was empty save for a few squirrels. The benches had been draped with twinkly lights and the arch had been weaved with holly.

Clarke pulled Bellamy a few steps back, angling him so that they were standing directly below a small piece of mistletoe that hung from the arch.

“Merry Christmas Clarke,” he murmured, pulling her against him.

“Merry Christmas Bell,” she answered, sliding her hands up his shoulders to rest against his neck.

Snow fell gently on them as they kissed, gently sliding their lips against each other. Bellamy could feel the cold press of Clarke’s nose against his cheek and he slipped his hand below the hem of her jacket to press the heat of his hands into her skin.

They pulled apart slowly, pressing small pecks to each other’s faces. Clarke thought her heart was going to burst as “White Christmas” drifted through the air, snow caught in her eyelashes and Bellamy pressed a careful kiss to the tip of her nose.

XXX

“This might just have been my favorite Christmas carnival yet,” Clarke said softly, linking her arm with Madi’s.

“The snow just makes it more magical,” Madi agreed. “And having a boyfriend doesn’t hurt, it’s nice not to be alone wearing an elf costume for once.”

“I can’t believe you convinced him to put on an elf costume for you, he loves you.”

“He’s pretty great huh?” Madi blushed, burying her face in the arm of Clarke’s jacket.

“We are lucky girls,” Clarke agreed, pressing a kiss to Madi’s dark ponytail.

They walked the long way home, enjoying the fall of snow on their faces. Clarke sang Christmas songs softly as they walked, arm in arm toward their house.

“Is someone sitting on our porch?” Madi asked, body stiffening as they neared the house.

“I know that silhouette anywhere…that’s my mother,” Clarke groaned, untwining her arm from Madi’s.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas Y'all (or whatever you celebrate during this month!!) Hope this little taste of the holidays was exactly what you were jonesing for :) 
> 
> Thank you all for your kind words and encouragement. This story is likely just going to be a giant ball of fluff, I had drama planned but idk if I can go through with it. They're just so cute... 
> 
> So much love! I absolutely adore hearing what all of you think and love talking with you guys about this story so feedback is always appreciated.


	15. Christmas

“Mom, are you wearing a sweatshirt?” Clarke called, approaching the hunched form.

Abby Griffin looked worse for the wear. Her hair was tied in a ponytail, she had on loose jeans that were ten years out of style and an Ark Memorial Hospitals sweatshirt on with the hood pulled up. Never in her life had Clarke seen her mother look so worn down.

“I’m not in the mood for your theatrics right now Clarke, I am in fact a person who owns casual clothing. Now please let me inside, I’m freezing,” Abby snapped standing up from her spot of the steps.

Clarke and Madi shared a concerned look as they shepherded her into the house.

“Why don’t get I you some coffee,” Clarke said carefully, backing into the kitchen. She needed a minute to process the whole thing before she even tried to unpack this situation.

“What the absolute hell is going on?!” Madi whispered harshly, coming up behind Clarke.

“I think my mother is demonically possessed,” she replied, desperately digging under the cabinet for her spare coffee. “and to make matters worse, I don’t have any coffee.”

“Considering a certain tall man in a plaid shirt serves the coffee, I’m not surprised,” Madi rolled her eyes, pushing past Clarke to open one of the high cabinets. “Also you’re probably going to need alcohol for this.”

“You need more age-appropriate friends. Ginger doesn’t count,” Clarke chuckled, taking the bottle of wine and carrying it into the living room with two mugs tucked under her arm.

The sight of Abby Griffin sitting on a threadbare yellow couch in a sweatshirt was almost too much. Under different circumstances, it would almost be hilarious but there was something deeply depressing about seeing someone who was usually full of pride look so beat down.

“What’s going on? You’re in Polis and wearing jeans, I’m a little concerned,” Clarke said, kneeling in front of her mom to press a coffee mug of wine into her hand.

Abby eyed the mug with distaste but took a sip, closing her eyes and sinking back into the worn cushions of the couch.

“As you know, Marcus and I have been having a lot of disagreements. I thought his mother leaving would fix it but it doesn’t seem to be working. We had quite the fight after you two left on Friday. He’s been sleeping in the pool house.”

Clarke bit her tongue, it had likely been the elaborate farewell celebration that had set her stepfather off but now was probably not the time to making a point.

“I just hate being in that house by myself. It’s so large and our maid clomps around like a horse, it echoes terribly,” she continued, downing the entire mug.

“Maybe he just needs some time to cool down?” Clarke tried, gently placing a hand on her knee.

“What he needs is to find a new wife,” Abby snapped, slamming the cup down. “He continually defends that vile woman.”

“She’s his mom!”

“So?!”

“So, I don’t always like you either but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t defend you if it came down to it,” Clarke snapped back. She was losing her patience with her mother’s dramatics.

Abby balked at her daughter, processing what she said. She stared blankly at her for a beat before bursting into tears.

Clarke and Madi exchanged a panicked look as Madi sat gently next to her grandma to wrap her in a hug. Clarke moved to her mom’s other side, covering Madi’s arm with her own over Abby’s shoulders.

There was something weird and emotional about the three of them sitting together. Three generations of Griffin Girls, a sight that Clarke never thought she would see.

XXX

Bellamy jiggled the front door, rolling his eyes when it clicked right open. Clarke had a terrible habit of leaving all her doors unlocked. Granted, Polis was a real-life snow globe, but you can never be too careful.

Trying not to rustle the tray in his arms, he carefully made his way into the kitchen. Madi’s room was on the first floor and he didn’t want to wake them before he had a chance to put the cinnamon rolls in the oven.

He had had to bribe Murphy by taking the night closing for the diner for the next month, but it was two days before Christmas and he wasn’t going to miss the opportunity to make a big deal out of it for Clarke.

The oven had several pairs of shoes stored inside and Bellamy moved them to the front closet where they belonged before cranking the dial up. It was doubtful that Clarke had ever used this oven, so it wasn’t exactly surprising that she had turned it into a closet. Thankfully she still had the old coffee maker on the counter, and he dumped the blend he had brought into it.

Coffee and cinnamon weaved together and started drifting through the house as Bellamy moved around the kitchen. He had just moved the bacon from the stove when the floorboard by the stairs creaked. Even though they had been dating for a few weeks now, Bellamy’s heart thudded with anticipation.

“Merry Christmas Eve Eve Baby—” he began, turning with a mug in hand. His smile faltered when he came face to face with an older woman who was most definitely not Clarke. “Oh, uhh, good morning Mrs.—err, I mean, Dr. Griffin,” he said awkwardly, taking a step back. “Would you like some coffee? It’s fresh.”

He held out the mug to Abby who smiled uncomfortably and took it with a nod, moving past him to sit at the dining room table.

“You’re the diner fellow, correct?” she asked, taking a sip from the mug.

“Yes! Bellamy, it’s nice to see you again Dr. Griffin.”

“I take it that you and my daughter are involved? Unless you break into all your friends’ houses and call them ‘baby’ in the mornings,” Abby said casually, a ghost of a smile etched into her cheeks.

“I—um, yes, we’re seeing each other. It’s still new,” he answered sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. This had not been what he was expecting, and he was a little thrown off. Clarke’s mom was extremely intimidating, and he wished he had thought to change out of his sweatpants before coming over. This was supposed to be a cozy breakfast and a morning full of Christmas movies, not a chance to eat breakfast alone with his girlfriend’s mom.

The oven beeped, shaking Bellamy out of his panic and he turned to remove them. He could feel Abby’s eyes on him the entire time and was trying desperately not to burn his hand.

“I’m glad you two seem to have worked out whatever was going on there,” she said finally, eyeing the tray as he poured fresh frosting over it.

“Oh yeah, we’ve been together for about a month and I think it’s going well,” Bellamy smiled, setting down the tray and moving to sit across from Abby with his coffee.

“You seem good for her and she seems happy. You would be surprised how difficult it is to find a good man these days.”

“I take it you have some experience with that?”

“Clarke’s father always balanced me out, he was very sturdy and sure of himself. Marcus and I are much more similar in the sense that we don’t let things go easily.”

Bellamy nodded and listened as Abby recounted the entire fight, leaning back to drink his coffee as she spoke. This was not how he had envisioned this conversation going but the whole thing was oddly intriguing.

“I’m sorry to unload all of that on you, I don’t know what came over me,” Abby finished, reddening at the cheeks.

“That’s okay, sometimes it’s nice to vent to someone who has no skin in the game. I don’t know a lot about pool houses or mother-in-laws.”

They both smiled softly, comfortably pausing to finish their coffees when the door to Madi’s room opened and both Madi and Clarke stepped out.

“Uhh, good morning?” Clarke said, voice scratchy with sleep, the floorboards creaking once again as she entered the kitchen.

A rush of panic washed over her as the fog of sleep quickly snapped away. Her mother was sitting at the table drinking coffee out of her favorite mug and Bellamy was holding a tray of cinnamon rolls and staring wide-eyed at her in the middle of the kitchen. Somehow, her life had gotten even stranger.

“Merry Christmas eve eve,” Bellamy said blushingly, tilting the tray so she could see. “I thought I would surprise you.”

Fondness momentarily overtook her panic and her heart swelled at how sweet this man was. It was truly unbelievable.

“You’re one of a kind Bellamy Blake,” she grinned, reaching out to squeeze his bicep. She was still very aware that her mother was sitting at the dining table and cursed the fact that she couldn’t kiss him right now.

“He makes excellent coffee,” Abby smiled, looking from her daughter to the man she was clearly in love with.

“I’m glad that you’ve had the chance to meet,” Clarke said awkwardly, dipping her pinky through the icing. “There’s only one way to eat cinnamon rolls on Christmas eve eve.”

“By the tree watching a Hallmark movie?” Bellamy grinned, pouring a coffee into Clarke’s second favorite mug.

“Maybe a Netflix movie, we’re all about the inclusivity in this house,” she laughed, bumping her hip against his as she took the mug.

Madi nodded enthusiastically as she dug through the cabinets, “I think this occasion calls for the Dolly Parton plates.”

“It only seems fitting for such a wonderful surprise,” Clarke agreed, pushing up on her tiptoes to press a kiss onto Bellamy’s cheek.

He draped his arm around her, squeezing her into a tight hug.

XXX

“This—was such a good idea,” Clarke panted, pressing her back against the tree. Bellamy’s lips were moving up and down her neck, pressing wet kisses against her skin. It was freezing outside but her skin felt like it was burning.

They had decided to take a walk after breakfast, leaving Madi to show her grandmother the wonders of “A Princess Switch”. It gave them both some time to bond, and it gave Bellamy and Clarke a minute to be alone.

“I agree,” he said between kisses, moving up to nip at the corner of her jaw. Clarke moaned his name, gently pushing his hair back. She urged him higher up until he finally made his way back to her lips.

His hands slipped below the hem of her jacket, fingers digging against the skin of her sides. Heat radiated from his hands to her torso, sending a pulse of desire straight to her core.

“You are so sweet, I genuinely can’t believe it,” she said against his lips, hiking her leg around his hips to pull him closer.

Bellamy groaned, sliding his hands from her waist down to her ass, lifting her off the snow-covered ground to press her up against the tree. “You—you,” he tried, but the words got caught in his throat as Clarke ground down against him. “Fucckkkkk.”

They stayed like that until their noses turned red, making out like teenagers in the middle of the woods. Clarke’s head was spinning as she gasped for air between kisses, lacing her fingers in Bellamy’s hair. She wanted him closer, the rub of her jeans against his dick was sending shivers down her spine but they were too public. If they got caught having sex out here, they would never live it down.

Carefully, Bellamy pecked a final kiss to her lips and set her down on the ground. She groaned in protest, leaning forward to kiss his nose as her back slid down the tree.

“If my mother moves in with me, we’re never going to be alone again,” Clarke whined, running her hands up and down the arms of his denim jacket.

“She had I had a long chat about that. She talked a lot about your dad,” Bellamy admitted, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand.

“She talked about my dad?! I can’t remember the last time she said anything about him.”

“Yeah, it was kind of a lot, but it was nice. She seems happy to have you back. Also, I’m still terrified of her and I never want to be left alone with her again.”

“You’re really something special Blake,” Clarke murmured, rubbing her thumb against his jawline.

“I never thought I would get to have this,” he admitted, leaning into her palm. “I feel like the luckiest man alive.”

Clarke looked at the man in front of her. He was steady, kind, generous and he loved her daughter like she was his own. This was the kind of relationship she had dreamed of when she was young and struggling, the kind of partner she never thought she would be able to find.

“I love you,” Clarke whispered, tracing the path of his freckles with her fingers. She had known it for a long time, but it felt good to say it out loud. Bellamy had said it at the town meeting, but there had been so many other things going on she hadn’t had the chance to bring it up again.

Bellamy froze, opening his eyes so he could ensure that he wasn’t dreaming. Clarke loved him. Clarke Griffin was in love with him. He had been hoping for this moment for over a decade, but he never thought it would come.

“I love you too. I know I said it earlier but I meant it. Since the moment I saw you, I knew you were going to be someone important in my life,” he replied, cupping her jaw.

Their kiss was soft and sweet, laced with the promise of a lifetime more of kisses. Bellamy had finally gotten the chance to be with the woman he loved, and he was going to try his best not to mess it up.

XXX

“Merry Christmas!” Octavia yelled, pushing through the Griffin’s front door with an armful of presents. Lincoln trailed behind with an armful of gift bags and a tray of cookies; he was trying to balance everything in his arms while keeping a Santa hat perched on his head.

Everyone greeted one another with hugs and the gifts were dumped under the tree. Clarke introduced her mom to Octavia and Lincoln, grinning widely as she realized this was the first real introduction of hers and Bellamy’s families.

Once Raven and Wick had arrived and hot chocolate had been distributed throughout the group, they all settled down to open presents around Clarke’s gigantic tree. It was entirely too large for the space, top bent slightly by the low ceiling and it was decorated with a mix of eclectic ornaments and handmade decorations made by Madi during various stages of school.

Abby crossed her legs as she sat on the hard floor, examining the gap-toothed pictures of her granddaughter framed in wreaths and small handprints hung with frayed ribbon. The sight of all the memories she had missed out on made her chest ache. At the time, it had seemed like the right decision to be firm with Clarke but seeing these mementos and the life that her daughter had built in this town hurt.

“Oh my God!!” Madi screamed, lunging off of the couch to tackle Clarke. “How on earth did you get Amal Clooney’s autograph?!”

“I know a guy,” Clarke chuckled, squeezing her daughter tightly. “And I spend a lot of time on eBay.”

From there, the room devolved into rambling chaos with everyone exchanging gifts and yelling back and forth. At some point, Jordan rang the doorbell which only added to the noise and bustle.

Bellamy met Clarke’s gaze from across the room, his gift for her was tucked under his leg. He didn’t want it to get lost in the flurry.

She jerked her thumb toward the kitchen, scooting against the floor until she disappeared around the corner.

He grinned and followed her, reaching down to pull her off the floor in the kitchen.

“Merry Christmas baby,” she murmured against his lips, pressing soft kisses to his cheeks.

“Merry Christmas,” he replied, squeezing her tightly against his chest before pressing the small bag into her hand.

“Okay I can’t wait, you’ve got to open mine first,” she said, bubbling with excitement. She set the bag down on the counter and handed him a flat box with an enormous card on top. “Read the card first.”

Bellamy carefully eased the envelope open, instead of a card there was a photograph. It was old, from one of the first stupid town events after Clarke had moved to Polis. It was of him, Raven and Clarke with Jasper running in front of them trying to avoid being in the picture. That was the first night they had actually talked to each other.

He examined the picture for a beat, turning it over to reveal a note written in Clarke’s loopy scrawl, _“Bell, you said at the town meeting that you knew you loved me from the moment we met. I can’t say that I was quite that profound at 17 years old, but I can pinpoint the moment I realized I loved you too. This picture is from my first firelight festival, it was terrifying, I felt like the whole town was staring at me. You gave me a full history lesson on the origin of the firelight festival, so I was too bored to be nervous. Then you spent the entire night with me and Madi, helping me try every single snack available and making us laugh. You were one of the first people who made Polis feel like home and after that night you’ve always had a piece of my heart. I love you Bellamy Blake, for the amazing person that you are.” _

Bellamy felt tears pricking in the corner of his eyes by the time he finished the note. The box fell to the floor as he reached out to pull Clarke against his chest. He had never felt love like this before. It was overwhelming and dizzying, he never wanted this feeling to go away. With a final squeeze, he picked up the box, easing off the lid to reveal a denim jacket and small stack of paper. Some were napkins, others were bigger pieces of paper. All were sketches of his face and all of them were dated, some of them all the way back to the first week they met.

“I’m really glad that we didn’t open these in front of everyone else,” Bellamy said, voice choked with tears. Carefully, he set the sketches down and held up the jacket. It was sturdy and the perfect amount of worn, he shrugged it on over his flannel, turning so Clarke could examine him.

“It fits perfectly,” she grinned, smoothing the denim over his shoulders.

“Okay open mine, I don’t know if I can top this. I should’ve gone first,” he urged, nudging the bag toward him.

Clarke dug through the bag, pulling out another brown paper bag. Inside the second bag was a necklace. It was simple, with a small cluster of stones at the end of the chain.

“Bell,” she gasped, “This is beautiful.”

“I played my sentimental card on the first date, so I went a little more traditional,” he said sheepishly, a light blush spreading across his freckled cheeks.

“It’s perfect,” she assured, holding up the chain to admire it. “Can you help me put it on?”

Bellamy nodded, taking it carefully from her while she turned around. Gently, he swept her long hair off her shoulder and clasped it around her neck. He punctuated the motion with a kiss to her neck. “I love you,” he whispered, lips pressed against her skin.

XXX

Abby was still sitting on the floor of the living room while Clarke and Madi cleared out the kitchen and the rest of the house.

“Mom? Are you okay?” Clarke probed, kneeling in front of her.

Abby looked from the Christmas tree back to her daughter, “I missed out on so much of your lives. I did think I was doing the right thing. I raised you the same way my mother raised me, and I was thought I had done it well. But seeing you two and all this, I wonder if tough love wasn’t the right choice. I always just wanted the best for you.”

“Mom…I know that,” Clarke said gently, sitting down to place her hand on her mother’s knee. “We can’t change what happened or rewind time but you’re here now and that’s what matters. But that regret you’re feeling? I don’t want that to happen for you and Marcus too. I haven’t always liked that man and I found the beginning of your relationship upsetting but I can’t deny that you two are good for each other.”

“I’m sorry I missed out on so much of your lives,” Abby said softly, reaching out to hold both Madi and Clarke’s hands. “And unfortunately, I think you’re right. I need to go home and face this.”

“You can do this grandma,” Madi assured, helping Abby to her feet.

They both watched as she packed up her fancy coat and expensive purse, hugging them both before she headed back to her Jaguar. “I love you both, you can keep the jeans,” Abby called slamming the car door.

“That is a specific brand of crazy that only Griffin women possess,” Clarke chuckled, wrapping an arm around her daughter and pressing their heads together. “That is a direct glimpse into your future.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't help it, another Christmas chapter because I'm soft af. This story is like a happy little blanket, just makes me feel all warm and cozy when I write it. 
> 
> I'm so touched that so many people are enjoying this story and have taken the time to read, kudos, comment, etc. I love hearing from y'all and getting to know you and your thoughts! :) If you have any cute ideas that you think would work well in this story I'm always open to suggestions. 
> 
> So much love to you and your this upcoming holiday and for any other holidays others may celebrate. Hope you all are able to experience some mushy sappy times this season.


	16. A Toast

* * *

Clarke turned in her bed, sitting up to fluff her pillow once again. There was a knot of nerves in her stomach, the official opening for the school was tomorrow and the anxiety of it all was going to her head. This had been the moment she had been waiting for since she was twenty, and it was finally here. There were so many things that could go wrong, her brain wouldn’t stop whirring.

“Mom?” Madi whispered, carefully easing open the bedroom door. Wordlessly, she pulled back the sheet and crawled under the covers, pressing her perpetually cold feet into her mom’s calves.

Clarke smiled softly, reaching out to tuck Madi under her arm. She was grateful that even after all this time, Madi was so tiny, it made it easier to pretend that she wasn’t growing up so fast.

“What’re you doing up so late?”

“I know how you get when you’re nervous,” Madi replied simply, burying her face into Clarke’s shoulder.

“I love you to the sky and the stars kid.”

“I love you to till the end of the universe. The school is going to be great. If anyone tells you otherwise, tell them to take it up with me. I have access to a very expensive printer, and I will use it to make slander signs of Thelonious.”

“My little rebel,” Clarke laughed, tightening her arms around Madi.

“I think you’re the first person in history to ever call me that.”

“My little wonderfully predictable geriatric teenager.”

“Much better,” Madi giggled, shifting so that she could rest the book she had brought on her lap. “I brought a book for us to read since I knew you wouldn’t be able to sleep.”

Clarke leaned back, arms still wrapped around her daughter and listened to her read from some YA novel. The sound of her voice was soothing and the weight of her in her arms brought her back to the days when they would spend every night cuddled up in a twin bed in the old, drafty shed.

XXX

“I have presents for my two favorite ladies,” Octavia grinned widely, wiggling a brown paper bag in the air. Carefully, she removed two matching sets of colorful beaded earrings and handed one to each of them before pulling back her own dark hair to reveal her own set.

“O, they’re beautiful,” Clarke gushed, carefully looping the earrings through her ears. Raven nodded in agreement, donning her own pair.

“This is the beginning of a beautiful thing. Thank you for letting me be a part of it,” Octavia continued, wrapping an arm around each of their shoulders so they could survey their new business.

It was honestly a miracle to see the store transformed into what it was now, the old wood floors had been shined, the walls had been painted and the once cramped floorplan had been opened into an airy space. Each area of the house had been designed with a specific art form in mind. The main floor and porch were equipped with saws, woodworking benches and nail guns, the upstairs was now flooded with bright natural light to allow for a full jewelry-making studio. They had added a pottery room with the help of a few people from the faire in addition to the jewelry making.

Outside, there was a garage full of metalworking and welding tools for Lincoln to teach sword making. It was a niche, but it was a unique trade all the same. But Clarke’s favorite part was the little old shed, her very first home. It was a little removed from the bustle and noise of the rest of the school, a true artist’s reprieve. The area that had once been her and Madi’s bedroom now housed several easels and cabinets full of paint.

Clarke leaned against the doorframe of the shed, it was hard to believe that this was the same place she had walked into fourteen years ago when she was terrified and soaking wet. It had been a long road, but she was really proud of where she had reached.

“I can’t believe you left my height marks up on the doorframe in there,” Madi said, moving next to Clarke so she could lean on the opposite side of the doorframe. “I also can’t believe that I never noticed you marked your own height on there too.”

“Hey, I grew one inch in the time we lived here! I couldn’t erase our legacy. This is our origin story baby.”

“I forget sometimes that you were just a kid back then,” Madi said quietly, shifting so she could link her arms with Clarke’s.

“I wish I could tell that kid that it would all work out the way it's supposed to.”

“I’m really proud of you mom, and I’m really grateful. Our life is only the way it is because of you,” Madi pressed up onto her tiptoes to press a kiss to her mom’s temple. “Let yourself enjoy this, today’s your day.”

Clarke’s eyes burned with the sharp sting of fresh tears, it was rare that she let herself think back to those first few years in Polis. They had been really hard and lonely, there were plenty of times that she thought she wasn’t going to make it. But yet, here she was, standing in what used to be an old dusty bedroom with her beautiful, mature daughter about to open her own business. It felt like a rare full-circle moment.

XXX

“You’ve amassed quite the crowd,” Bellamy said, coming up behind Clarke with a bouquet of peach roses. “It looks incredible,” he continued, pressing a kiss into her hair and the roses into her hand.

“We ran out of brochures,” Clarke murmured excitedly, leaning back against Bellamy’s chest. She was exhausted, the last few hours had been spent mingling with prospective parents and doing art demonstrations for groups of enthralled young children. She had escaped back to the front desk to get a break but had been immediately bombarded with questions about pricing and scheduling the second she had entered the building.

Bellamy slid his hands up her arms, kneading his thumbs into the skin of her shoulders. Carefully, he unwound the knots sitting under her skin. The fabric of her soft, chiffon blouse caught under the pads of his fingers and he traced the floral pattern.

“I think the entire town is here.”

“If they all sign up for classes, we might just be able to turn a profit.”

“We could go on vacation?” he murmured, propping his chin on her shoulder and draping his arms fully around her.

“Mhmm, a vacation sounds nice. A beach?” she replied, tipping her chin up to press a kiss into his jaw.

Another parent waved at her and Clarke slipped out from his grip, turning to look at him wistfully as she answered a question about allergen friendly paint.

He stood awkwardly for a moment, glancing around the room before giving Clarke one last look and venturing further into the school. The place really was amazing, it was a haven for artsy kids. From the window, he could see Raven and Lincoln lighting a blow torch in front of a crowd of enraptured teenagers.

He found Octavia tucked in one of the upstairs rooms, taking excitedly with a group of teenage girls. They were gathered around her, hanging on to every word she said. He had to admit, Octavia was dripping passion with every word, her eyes were wide, and her dark hair was flipping in every direction.

Her entire face lit up as she explained something with a string and a pair of plyers. It was kind of incredible, Bellamy couldn’t remember the last time he saw his sister look so happy. Even at her best, Octavia had never seemed so at peace…it was like she had finally found her footing.

For the first time in a long time, Bellamy wasn’t worried about anyone. Not Octavia, or Clarke or anyone else. It felt like everything might actually end up okay.

“Why are you standing in the corner like a creeper?” Octavia laughed, waving for him to come to stand by her while she sorted beads into different containers.

“I didn’t want to interrupt, you were very in your element,” Bellamy chuckled, sitting on the edge of one of the small stools. He watched as she carefully dug through each of the beads, separating them one by one.

“Do you know what I was thinking about the other day? What if I had actually ended up running the diner.”

“I used to spend a lot of time thinking about that, hours and hours. It’s how I got abs, from all the frustration. But I don’t think I really care about what would have happened anymore.”

“That’s fair. I kind of came to the same conclusion. I never would’ve found Lincoln,” Octavia shrugged, closing the lid of her bead box. “I’m happy for us. There was a time when I never thought we would be happy again.”

“Me too,” he agreed, standing to wrap an arm around his sister.

She hugged him tightly and Bellamy felt a surge of emotion. There had been a time when he had believed Octavia would never come back, but she was here to stay now, and he couldn’t be happier about it.

“I’m glad you’re home,” he said, squeezing his sister’s shoulders.

“It’s good to be home,” she answered, giving him one last hug before turning back to her beads.

XXX

Bellamy turned the sign on the door of the diner from “Open” to “Closed”, it was a little earlier than he normally would have but it was doubtful anyone would notice. The only people who came into the diner this close to closing were old man Lewis and the people currently sitting inside.

Clarke was behind the counter, as usual, gathering an armful of mugs to distribute across the group. He didn’t have the heart to chase her out, even though it was actually a safety hazard. Instead, he retrieved the chipped yellow mug from underneath the shelf and poured her a cup while she served the others. He had always wondered why she had taken a liking to this particular mug, it wasn’t anything special. It was old, probably one of the oldest in the diner, with a faded picture of Dopey from Snow White on it.

She gratefully took the mug from him as he moved to sit next to her on the counter. It was a special occasion; he could let the rules slide just this once. He tucked her under his arm, this had become the way they always sat now, sandwiched together. But the motion of it always reminded him of all the times he had longed to do this. He would never take moments like this for granted.

“Now feels like the time for an emotional speech, but I’m too exhausted,” Raven said tiredly, leaning against Wick while she took a big bite out of a croissant.

“No emotional speeches. That’s for endings, this is a beginning,” Octavia scolded, holding her mug up in the air. “Here’s to us.”

Everyone knocked their mugs into the air, smiling widely at the people around the room. Clarke looked around the diner, leaning heavily into Bellamy’s side. For once, there was nothing on her mind except love for the people around her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last real chapter *Cries* (there's still a short epilogue) 
> 
> It's been a long, weird road for this story. This is my first fic with largely original plot (not drawn from anywhere) and it was a struggle at times to figure out where I wanted to take this. You all have been so loving and encouraging, I cannot begin to thank you. 
> 
> So so so much love to you all for reading, laughing and crying with me during this time. I'll leave some final thoughts on the epilogue but I couldn't help showing a little love right now. I'm feeling very sentimental. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this wind down of our fourteen year long slow burn!


	17. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am in tears, this is the end :)

_ _

* * *

_Three (ish) Years Later_

“Oh my God, get out from behind the counter!” Bellamy called across the diner, whipping his head up just as Clarke ducked under the barrier.

“This is 50% my counter now,” Clarke said smugly, waving her ring finger at him before turning back to the coffee pot to serve herself.

Murphy rolled his eyes at her as he walked past with an armful of plates. Technically speaking he owned some of the diner too but for the sake of her argument, she was going to ignore that. He had long since stopped getting involved in Bellamy and Clarke’s bickering.

“We’re going to be late,” Bellamy warned, tossing his dish towel back onto the counter and gesturing for Clarke to come around.

“You’re just trying to get me to come out. I’m moving in back here, forget the house, this is my home now.”

Bellamy gave her a weary look, dramatically flipping open his ancient phone to show her that they were actually going to be late if they didn’t leave right now.

With a sigh, Clarke clicked the lid onto the to-go cups and pressed one into Bellamy’s hand as she followed him out of the diner. He reached out to twine their hands together, swinging them lightly as they weaved through town.

The summer ice cream festival was drawing to a close, and the swing of the jazz band drifted through the balmy breeze. It was truly the perfect late summer day, tinged with the promise of cold fall air.

Jordan passed them as they approached Clarke’s house and gave them a small smile. His eyes were rimmed with red and he had a balled up tissue in his hand.

“Good luck at school bud,” Bellamy assured, gently clapping a hand on his shoulder. “We’ll see you at Thanksgiving.”

Jordan covered Bellamy’s hand with his own and gave them both a watery smile before hastily continuing to walk back to town. Clarke’s heart ached a little for him. Long distance wasn’t going to be easy, but Madi and Jordan seemed determined to make it work. For both of their sakes, she hoped it did.

“Poor kid,” Clarke shook her head, leaning against the front banister as Bellamy fiddled with the housekey.

Just as Bellamy pulled the door open, Madi came racing out, two long braids flying behind her as she carried plastic tubs to the trunk Bellamy’s truck. Her eyes were red and puffy too, but she didn’t even pause to acknowledge them as she jogged back into the house and returned moments later with an armful of garment bags.

Bellamy and Clarke shared a look, wordlessly joining her in filling the car. Madi was on edge, and neither of them wanted to chance trying to shake her out of this frenzy.

It wasn’t until they were on the road, Madi sandwiched in between them both in the front of the truck that she finally seemed to stop moving.

“Everything is going to change,” she said quietly, eyes trained carefully on the road. From where she was sitting, Clarke could see the wells of tears underneath her lashes.

“It’s good change baby,” Clarke assured, wrapping her arm around her daughter’s narrow shoulders.

Bellamy nodded, placing a hand on Madi’s knee and squeezing.

“Your whole future is waiting for you at ArkU, the people that you’re going to meet, the things you’re going to learn. We’re always going to be here,” Bellamy smiled, flickering his gaze away from the road to look at Madi. He could feel tears pricking in his own eyes as he looked at Madi, she wasn’t the tiny girl in an oversized sweater who had hung off the side of his counter waiting for him to make her a turkey sandwich anymore. He had never expected that that tiny girl would grow into someone who he would love like a daughter. Someone he would be so proud of that it physically hurt sometimes.

“And change can bring you amazing things. Getting on that bus and walking out in the rain in the middle of the night on my seventeenth birthday might have been the dumbest thing I’ve ever done but it brought me everything. It gave us a home, helped you grow into the incredible person you are, and it brought us Bellamy,” Clarke choked, hugging Madi more tightly and reaching her other hand to cover Bellamy’s on Madi’s knee.

The tears that had been threatening to spill, finally ran down Bellamy’s cheeks.

“It’s us against the world,” Madi said, tears running down her cheeks. She hugged them both tightly, as much as she was scared for the future, she was glad that this would never change.

Clarke pillowed her cheek against the crown of Madi’s head, breathing in her flowery shampoo. The movement brought her back to that night on the worn armchair in Indra’s living room when she had painstaking dried Madi’s hair with an old painter’s towel.

Bellamy leaned over to press a kiss to the crown of Clarke’s head. Despite the ache of Madi’s departure, Clarke felt overwhelmingly grateful for this little family she had built.

Madi was right, it was the three of them against the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!
> 
> There have been so many laughs, love and tears poured into this fluffy little soft piece based on one of my favorite shows. It has been a truly momentous ride and there were absolutely times when I thought this story would never be finished but here we are. 
> 
> I am so incredibly grateful for this kind, supportive fandom and the people who have stood by this story through all this weirdness. Thank you for your kind words, encouragement, friendship and love! It has been an honor to travel through this story together. I hope you have loved this sweet, slow burn as much as I have. Please let me know what y'all think, I love hearing from you. 
> 
> If you would like to keep in touch (it would make my little heart so happy) you can find me on Tumblr @Nakey-cats-take-bathsss I use it to talk about my writing and post previews/moodboards! I'm currently doing some polling on my next projects if you all want to give any input (it'll be another rom-com reformat, surprise, surprise). 
> 
> Till next time babes <3


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